3.7 early predictions and thoughts
What an ominous poster. The broadcast isn't that far away, yet I want to share my impressions anyway, even if I might end up being proven totally wrong.
The barrier around the SPDM building, combined with the Greek letters and design, suggest that the Storm immunity of certain places will be relevant. What protected Apeiron from the Storm was the faith of its residents and their adherence to their traditions, but once that stability came under attack, its immunity also began to wane. Generally, locations immune to the Storm are also metaphorically unchanging and resilient. Many elements of the poster suggest some kind of corruption from within, so the question is whether that could somehow erode the immunity of the SPDM to some degree in a similar manner.
The cracks and the black and Klein blue liquid seeping through imply the Manus are either actively infiltrating the Foundation, perhaps spying, or that there is some secret collaboration going on in higher circles. Maybe both.
Either way, yet another critical look at the Foundation is guaranteed. Especially because one of the figures at the bottom is partly covered in the liquid. That might represent Ms. Grace.
After all, both 3.0 and 3.3 had a character skeptical of the Foundation: Sentinel (although still willing to cooperate) is an outsider whose distrust stems from her seeing it as an apathetic and burreaucratic institution and also draws on her general experiences with power abuse, and thus may be considered ideological in nature; whereas Igor is a former insider whose problems with it originate from direct experiences and involvement, from knowing its functioning far too well, including its, to say the least, questionable activities, a criticism focused more on its practical shortcomings. Therefore, I think it would be logical if one of the main characters of 3.7 were then someone who is in the Foundation but without ever having had power over anyone, being confronted with reality...Like Merel.
Chess is associated with the Foundation and especially Constantine. It's not without symbolic meaning; chess is, after all, focused on the strategic elimination of key pieces and confrontation to achieve a decisive victory. (Madam Z's preferred Go, however, is known to focus more on long term strategies that do not necessarily involve as much direct conflict.) Parallels with the hawks and doves are likely not coincidental.
There are three chess pieces on the poster, the king, a bishop, and a pawn. Their colours are definitely deliberate: the king is black, which is associated with Manus Vindictae. The bishop is white but partly covered in black, whereas the pawn is white. This reminds me of the ethos of Chapter 11 inspired by post-WWI disillusionment from the establishment, as well as the more literal lore drops about the Pax House in Chapter 12. The consequences of the decisions made by those with power in their hands usually fall upon the average person, restricting their choices and robbing them of their innocence. Again, a prevalent theme in both Chapter 11 and 12. (In fact, Marianne's quote "... the innocence of the past does not simply lie buried for us to rebuild. It is dead and gone" got its own promotional edit on CN, it's on Merui's channel)
On Another's Sorrow is a poem by William Blake about human empathy (as a manifestation of God's love) and its role in preserving through hardship. The poem is included in his Songs of Innocence and of Experience. A running theme throughout the story; keeping on going even in the face of existential threats. Also ties into the innocence theme. It may be gone due to suffering but that doesn't mean one cannot remain empathetic towards humanity.
The background and the composition are reminiscent of the CN poster of Vereinsamt, and also A Flowing Feast. The Depths of Myth may be involved.
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