8.8 KiB
[RT] The Promised Neverland 014
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Author: u/gbear605 history’s greatest story*
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Score: 18
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Created: 2016-11-07T19:06:18
Post:
Comments:
u/xamueljones [+11] My arch-enemy is entropy (35 minutes later)
I think this is the first time that I really noticed these children aren't quite human. I mean I can conceive of children being smart enough to perform complex deception, coming up with elaborate plans, and even being good at fooling experienced adults. But the biggest anomaly to me is the fact that Ray at six years old was able to come up with and act out a plan spanning a period of time equivalent of his own life span. It is rare to non-existent to find such long term planning abilities in children so young. This is concrete evidence that the demons must have been selectively breeding for higher intelligence.
Also, the part that I'm most curious about is just what has Ray ordered over the years. Because I doubt Mama is going to tell him anything about the outside. So if he's been ordering based on the books he has read, then all of his information is partially out of date and there are hidden gaps in his knowledge concerning objects made/technology within the past few years. Finally, others probably know about Ray knowing, because would Mama really not tell anyone and keep up a constant rate of 'ordering' unusual objects over years without anyone noticing? I bet Mama has guessed part of Ray's plan.
u/None [+5] (an hour later)
I don't think he was planning so much as simply working towards a goal.
Even when I was six, I had long term goals that I worked towards, some even spanned multiple years.
So I don't think he hatched a plan six years ago and it's coming to fruition now. I think he just had a goal six years ago, and slowly acquired information and resources over the years while a plan fermented in the back of his mind.
I mean, it's not like they're using Ray's Surfire Escape Plan(tm) now, they're coming up with their own plan and Ray's intel will probably be a key factor in ensuring it's success.
u/Bowbreaker [+1] Solitary Locust (4 days later)
Even when I was six, I had long term goals that I worked towards, some even spanned multiple years.
Woah. Now I'm curious. In my life experience I've never heard of such a thing. If you don't mind sharing, what were some of those multi-year goals you worked towards at age ~6?
u/None [+1] (4 days later)
Really? Of the top of my head, a main goal I had at that time was becoming a doctor. Many kids will have dreams/goals relating to jobs they want to do when they grow up.
I'm unsure if I had this goal when I was six, but definitely around that age-frame.
u/Bowbreaker [+1] Solitary Locust (4 days later)
Oh that you mean by goal. But did you work towards it in any serious and ultimately relevant way other than, I guess, being an adequate student.
Because what Ray is doing here is wholly incomparable to a mere "I wanna be an astronaut when I grow up".
u/None [+1] (4 days later)
A bit yeah. Well, there was little I could do at six but I did watch a lot more science shows and minor things like that.
Ray here is a lot smarter than a young me, and he has a lot more motivation. My point was that Ray wasn't making plans so much as preparing himself.
Any plans he made were probably made very recently, within the last year or so.
u/Bowbreaker [+1] Solitary Locust (4 days later)
My point was that Ray wasn't making plans so much as preparing himself.
My point is that even preparing himself, and keeping on preparing himself for several years, all without backup or support, is far beyond any normal or even highly above average single digit aged person I ever heard of.
u/t3tsubo [+4] (an hour later)
Yup, definitely getting those enders game/enders shadow vibes with how smart these kids are.
u/Dwood15 [+2] (an hour later)
I agree on the smarter than normal point.
keep up a constant rate of 'ordering' unusual objects
She can just add things to her consistent orders when they restock the 'farm'.
u/xamueljones [+2] My arch-enemy is entropy (an hour later)
I can accept her just adding on Ray's orders to what she normally orders, but unless Mama varies what she orders each month, then Ray's order should stand out as unusual by changing each month. Also I really doubt that Mama is allowed to handle everything on the farm without any form of oversight. She most likely has to justify her decisions/orders to somebeing. I'll bet anything that there is some hidden enemy waiting who is aware of most to everything that Mama knows.
Maybe Mama isn't even human herself and only looks human.
u/Icare0 [+3] (4 hours later)
Maybe Mama isn't even human herself and only looks human.
She is, at the very least, the same kind of human as the other children, that much is certain. Otherwise, there would be no reason for Krone to fear about Emma becoming a Mama. She even has the same number tatoo.
u/CeruleanTresses [+6] (4 hours later)
I enjoyed this chapter especially because the main characters are approaching the escape plan from totally incompatible perspectives, but all of them are understandable and sympathetic. Emma's idealistic determination to pursue the "golden ending" even at the risk of losing everything, Ray's pragmatic hedging of his bets to protect what he values most at the expense of any chance at the "golden ending", and Norman's internal conflict between those two approaches all make perfect sense to me. I'm really interested to see how this conflict plays out.
I kind of find all the dramatic shots of Ray's edgy facial expressions hard to take seriously, but I guess that's just part of the medium. It doesn't detract from the story too much.
I also wonder how much Mama suspects that Ray might imminently stab her in the back, and what her contingency plans are in that event. He was loyal to her for six years to keep himself alive, but she has to expect that her hold over him will slip as his shipping date approaches, right? What does she have to offer him at this point?
u/None [+4] (8 hours later)
[deleted]
u/CeruleanTresses [+2] (9 hours later)
Choosing an item that accomplishes two of his goals at once does sound like the kind of thing Ray would do. Maybe we'll find out what it is in the next issue.
u/SaberToothedRock [+6] (12 minutes later)
Damn, Ray's been playing the long game. I can understand where he's coming from, not wanting six years of effort to go up in smoke due to Emma's desire to save everyone. On the other hand, it was either a miscalculation of his when he set the wheels in motion for Norman and Emma to find out about the whole charade, or it was unavoidable. He likely knew he couldn't get out alone, and informing just Norman would have resulted in Norman telling Emma anyway.
And now, he's really putting the pressure on Norman with this latest move. I'm curious to see what Norman does, as the effective leader and primary planner of the operation.
u/crivtox [+6] Closed Time Loop Enthusiast (a day later)
Ray could be lying and being in fact working for mama while he pretends to be pretending to spy for her pretending to work for them.Ray could even be a quintuple agent( and If Yudkowsky was the author I would even expect that) . But I don't think Ray has any motive to be working for mama since the only thing mama could offer him would be keeping him instead of shipping him but Ray isn't stupid and wouldn't had believed that .
Also Maybe mama has micros and or other spy in the house? so I woulndt talk about Ray's secret in the house ,and also not in a place were it was obvious that they are talking about something secret or at least they should talk in whispers . Mama surely knows Ray is trying to escape but maybe she doest know all his plan although is posible she has a good enough model of him to know he was collecting intel instead of just getting things he wants .
u/None [+2] (10 hours later)
Ray is just too good. He knows that this manga doesn't need all those kids to survive.
That's like 16 walls
u/Kishoto [+2] (9 hours later)
I really really fucking hate the gross (gross as in excessive, not gross as in ewwww.....although it could be that too) caricatures that certain animes and mangas have. For some characters, it really works. But, more often than not, I'm just put off by it and my immersion is completely broken by the sudden shift in art. Ugh.
Also spy-Ray OP.