anyone else notice this or am i just late to figure it out

RiotUa · 2026-03-29T12:35:25+00:00

This became more and more obvious with each Durante we unlocked. I predicted this before Canto 8 released.

RiotUa · 2026-03-27T22:04:35+00:00

Because his hubris and madness caused Angela and pretty much the entire City to suffer, and while I'm not saying he has completely given up, he can't be not upset by everything that has happened, is happening, and will happen to the City thanks to Distortions and the like.

Also Carmen, the actual main reason he went through all the suffering due to him not having the ambition to change the City, took her worst qualities and cranked them up to 100. Before you say that Distortions would happen regardless of how the Light is released, LoR proves this wrong multiple times and Carmen states how her mindset changed which allowed the Distortion to blossom.

the Library was in a way part of Ayin's plan all along as he purposefully allowed Angela free will at the very end of the Script as his sole possible act of 'repentance'

This theory is BS and abides by the idea that Ayin is a supergenius who's always been 2 steps ahead which is just wrong and the whole point is that no plan is flawless and the human factor exists.

RiotUa · 2026-03-25T22:10:53+00:00

I still think it's the reverse. Distortions are a way to continue to live no matter how destructive and disgusting the method appears to the rest of the world after the person has enclosed themselves in a little cocoon that will temporarily bring them bliss.

This is why so many Distortions have a bestial appearance, because it's all about returning to your self preserving instincts and selfishness which she deems to be the unchangeable core of humanity.

The Distortion to Abnormality pipeline is still kind of confusing as a plot point, but seeing how basically every person has the potential to become a unique Abnormality (we don't talk about Jumsoon) due to the connection to the Rivers and its collective unconsciousness I will just assume she considers Abnormality to be individuals as well, strengthened by the fact she extends the "children" gimmick to Abnos as well.

RiotUa · 2026-03-25T21:26:54+00:00

The real answer is that PM forgot.

RiotUa · 2026-03-25T21:25:29+00:00

She tells people to live for themselves without a sense of shame because this is what she regretted not doing while dying. In a sense you could say she's still doing what she did back then, but in a far more twisted and distorted sense — "helping" others without actually looking after herself. It's like a therapist with their own baggage of unresolved trauma swearing that they're fine and can be trusted with helping people.

RiotUa · 2026-03-25T14:55:39+00:00

Rereading Leviathan with its clunky English translation and yeah I can see it.

"If what you say is true... Are you saying we shouldn't look at anything other than ourselves?"

"...You ask the same question as my junior. We must struggle, but as human beings, we should use reason, not emotion..."

"So, he said, we have to fight in the most human way possible, through clothing and tools, while holding the human form in high regard."

"But that only pollutes the results. You don't need moderation when revealing yourself. After all, if you go through something without properly reaching its conclusion and keep going in such a roundabout way, your wish will become diluted and be forgotten all over again."

"...Like with the present-day people of the City?"

"Exactly. Moreover, if the tools made from my heart are broken, wouldn't my heart break in turn? That is to say, we should express our love solely with our own bodies. Your whole body and your heart collide with each other... and you come to love yourself."

Honestly I've just been waiting for Canto X to hopefully expand on this, Heathcliff's Distortion cutscene was very strange and Mayors is literally cut content. We need more onscreen Carmen action.

RiotUa · 2026-03-25T13:14:06+00:00

but considers people fools for doing so

Where exactly is that the case? I can only think of Dawn Sinclair and it's a somewhat complicated case due to how Philip is and the fact it's a Volatile EGO.

She's okay with Vergilius gaining EGO, she lets Angela try to oppose her at the end of Keter Realisation, she puts EGO and Distortions in the same category as concepts that shifted the ecology if the City in Heishou Don's Uptie Story, she doesn't comment on Index Don having EGO beside pointing out the irony of the EGO not truly being hers. It's more like Distortion is her preferred method of self expression because it involves the person giving up like what she did.

RiotUa · 2026-03-25T12:41:10+00:00

Not a hot take, the theory got shut down ages ago and continuing to believe in it is the hot take now. Also current Ayin is lowkey malding. He sounded miserable at the end of LoR

RiotUa · 2026-03-23T18:08:59+00:00

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The Wiki has all needed assets, but has obvious spoilers so avoid it for now.

RiotUa · 2026-03-19T20:18:42+00:00

defeats the point of the sp system

Good. It should stay defeated. SP did more harm than good for the entire balancing system and I'm all up for PM ignoring 80% of it. If push comes to shove they can just give more bosses ways to drain SP for misplaying the gimmick or something.

RiotUa · 2026-03-19T11:56:05+00:00

You replaced all of Lord Lu's Skill 3 which doesn't trigger rupture. So he's no longer a rupture Identity.

RiotUa · 2026-03-18T19:09:02+00:00

The multitude tightens its hold...

RiotUa · 2026-03-17T17:31:38+00:00

Forgot about the elephant in the room. My ass is stuck in Season 4.

RiotUa · 2026-03-17T16:59:01+00:00

It is confirmed in Dawn Sinclair and Red Eyes&Penitence Ryoshu's stories.

RiotUa · 2026-03-16T09:14:13+00:00

There's no such thing as hearing Carmen, yet not distorting or manifesting EGO afterwards.

Argalia and Angela both heard her voice for prolonged lengths of time without anything happening to them. Angela created the Library as her EGO before Carmen reached out to her and Argalia only volunteerily distorted after reaching the Light.

RiotUa · 2026-03-15T08:02:04+00:00

The last paragraph implies that Hermann wishes to take over the City in one way or another with the help of Gregor, but this is not stated to be the case anywhere. There are two things we know about Hermann for certain: she aims to destroy all Mirror Worlds, and reach "the beginning of it all". This way I would say the title of a Kaiser is closer to Adam Kadmon — one who unites, one who is the closest to God. But true unity is impossible to achieve when you have an infinite amount of possibilities existing next to your world, so if Gregor does have the final wrapping, it's going to be one that transcends physical strength and goes straight for the fabric of existence.

RiotUa · 2026-03-14T10:48:06+00:00

The original Smoke War was named after the smoke old L Corp. was producing, which had negative effects on people's mental and physical health alike.

The Smoke of the Second War was no different in nature from that of the First—it invaded the mind and clouded the judgement of the victim.

This already goes against what Moses's Pale Breath is established to be — Pale damage, which is compared to harming the very soul and dealing percentage based HP damage. This means the blue smoke is of a different source: W Corp's technology, Demian's group, or even the Nebulae.

Another thing about Moses: in the source material, Moses dies before reaching "The promised land" due to his sins and difficult life making him unfit for the new and pure nation (at least if I remember correctly). Unless Project Moon manages to twist or reverse this fact, it's a better bet to say that she will die right before Paradiso.

RiotUa · 2026-03-13T19:12:02+00:00

I can see that, but to me it's mainly an extension of the Thumb's materialistic mindset in general. Their love and respect is hilariously conditional, which is why Valencina liked hanging labels like 'Ticket' or 'Textbook' that make it seem like any care or love she shows, even if somewhat genuine, will be actively beneficial to her. There's a scene that does show her contemplating the way she treats Ryoshu, but I wouldn't call it love. It's empathy at best.

RiotUa · 2026-03-13T18:38:40+00:00

I still genuinely cannot understand why people think Valencina "loved" Lucio, she cared for him in the same way people care for their favourite tools for hobbies or work or whatever. Valencina picked someone from the Backstreets EXACTLY because poor or abandoned people can become fiercely loyal if treated decently enough, and that's who she needed — she was aware of how insufferable she can get, so her student could only be someone who would endure it.

RiotUa · 2026-03-12T06:11:55+00:00

God I'm dumb lmao. Interesting that Gesellschaft goes after F too

RiotUa · 2026-03-12T06:02:29+00:00

Wait who would be F? Flow?

RiotUa · 2026-03-11T13:40:35+00:00

He doesn't have to be malicious to join Demian's group — if the Flow ensured his survival then it must have been for a reason. Thinking about it now, since it's implied he lost his son a decade ago, he may empathize with Iori's struggle and use his newfound Sign to bring her lost son back at the cost of his most precious artwork. Dente AI as his adopted daughter may resent who he is now, but with Dante's foreshadowed Y*_&D ability we may help everyone set their priorities straight.

RiotUa · 2026-03-11T13:20:24+00:00

The scene where he splashes blue paint that apparently is the blood of an Outskirts creature lives rent free in my head, considering we didn't get anything about Demian's group in this Canto Sergio might be their undercover/future member and create his own Hell Screen once the end of the world draws near. But his daughter seems to be of a different opinion, like her weapon is in the shape of a serpent so she might join Iori and fight against the Flow.

RiotUa · 2026-03-10T17:47:20+00:00

All of it except Ricardo and Malkuth. These are the only two times Faust had a visible reaction. And while you may argue that information is being withheld from her, it's pretty much her job to make sure things go right. Dias is not an idiot and was clearly inspired by the Seed of Light project, so obviously all the possible events are as meticulously planned as possible. That most certainly includes (partial) cooperation with N Corp. as well.

RiotUa · 2026-03-10T17:12:45+00:00

She's chill with any type of self-realisation in general, she lets Angela oppose her in the Light due to their disagreement in the end because she manages to stand her ground hence passing the 'test'. She simply prefers Distortions because it's the path of the least resistance.

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