Asat Pramad: Another Angle(?)
Something incredibly interesting has arisen when it comes to Asat Pramad and the upcoming 4.3 patch that will assuredly expand on his motives and plan for Planarcadia, that much is known and inevitable. However, an interesting leak arose recently, and I think its ramifications are interesting and worthy of exploration.
The Leak
Via this leak posted on the HSR leak subreddit, a new leaker known as Love Leaks proposed the notion based on a flow chart. While the meaning is slightly unclear, most commenters in this thread have interpreted it the following ways:
That a Masked Fool known as Absenti became Asat Pramad, who became/was Ryusuke & Isee (obviously, not in that order)
Asat Pramad began as a Masked Fool known as Absenti, who went on to manipulate both Isee & Ryusuke to his own ends
Now, if anyone remembers my long post exploring the possibility of Isee = Asat Pramad, then you may remember that one of the common trends among Lord Ravagers is that they usually started out as beings inexorably tied to the Aeons they're destined to target, whether it starts out in opposition (ex. Phantylia is a Heliobus, a Denizen of Abundance, who targets Lan the Hunt, the Abundance's foil/enemy) or from a common thread (ex. Zephyro is a Self-Annihilator targeting IX). My own theory is that Asat, based on appearance alone, was/is an Imagenae.
While most of the Masked Fools we've seen are humanoid in appearance, this doesn't mean Absenti couldn't be both a Masked Fool and an Imagenae, as Imagenae--such as Sparxie--can be Masked Fools. Therefore, Absenti could've been both, but I'll cover both as I go on.
Absenti as Asat Pramad
Now, one thing I probably won't be doing is covering the bases of Isee = Asat Pramad as I've already done that; long story short, I concluded that it's a possibility, and that the truth will need to be seen. Based on that flow chart, I believe this leaker (and more reliable ones before them) may be proposing that Absenti became Asat, and it's not hard to see why.
As noted in Non-Random Treasure Map and Asat Pramad's Dice (Head) (A curio introduced in the DU's Protean Hero), and recently with the revealed/leaked relic set As Navigator Isee Saw It, for the Navigator's Game Die relic, it displays the same sort of aesthetic we expect of the ring in Non-Random Treasure Map, specifically because it aligns extremely well with the existence of a ring that both functions as game die connected to Asat, and an accessory to wear. More than that, a ring that guides the wearer "through a series of coincidences" towards misfortune could fit the idea of the Navigator's Game Die being both similar to the Ring of Misfortune and Isee's due to its ability to lead the wearer to misfortune, something Isee may have done (as the founder of the Omen Vanguards who seek out disastrous predictions to alert those affected).
However, as well as these three align, I do think it doesn't necessarily and unanimously confirm that Absenti was/is Asat Pramad. But, that doesn't mean there's an absence of evidence.
In Bragi's Resignation Letter, a very curious dilemma arises that came from Absenti: a display of cynicism that seems very atypical of a Masked Fool.
Now, my first instinct was to connect Absenti with Aha's Fables wherein a Mourning Actor managed to find AHA where the laughter ends, so to speak. But, that's where a discrepancy arises: nowhere is it mentioned that Absenti was a Mourning Actor or ever associated with them, which renders the association slightly void in the sense that we don't know for sure if Absenti was the same person who found Aha despite being confirmed for hoodwinking THEM, as it doesn't confirm nor deny the possibility.
As I said in my initial Isee = Asat Pramad speculation linked above, while it does confirm that Aha can be found "where the laughter ends" and that Asat's MO is linked to this fact, it doesn't mean Absenti is the Mourning Actor mentioned; what it does confirm is where and how to find AHA, which Asat Pramad would want to know.
This harkens back to Asat's proverbial calling card, as seen in Data Bank, Lord Ravagers — Destruction:
"Destruction is where laughter ends. It is mourning, not celebration." As a quote straight from Asat Pramad himself, what it does posit is the fact that Absenti existed during "rot and decay" of the Second Prosperity, which could mean the end of that era.
Again, as I put in the hotlink above, one of the reasons I can agree with Isee = Asat Pramad is the era and the timing, as it would fit. However, Absenti existing and being "leaked" as Asat Pramad's "true" identity throws a wrench in that notion due to the fact that he could've also existed before 2148 AE, the era before Asat Pramad invaded Benzaitengoku during the Cindearth Era, as he's said to have been around during the Second Prosperity.
Again, referring to my dissection of Isee = Asat Pramad, so much exists in a name, and Absenti's is no different. If anything, his name could fit extremely well with Asat Pramad, as Asat Pramad can be summed up as "non-existence" (like Absens/Absenti) and "frenzy" that would glue together very well. While it's not a perfect 1:1 in terms of etymology, the closeness between Absenti's name and the word "absens" that has a genitive form in "absentis" likely aren't unrelated, either.
While the existence of these puzzle rings are important to consider (or, the Ring of Misfortune/Navigator's Game Die), whether or not Absenti is actually Asat Pramad may be a moot point. What this does open up is the notion that these puzzle rings/die are inexorably connected to him regardless of form, and that they may be the key in manipulating these specific people.
Ryusuke as Asat Pramad?
Once again, this is not an unfounded idea. In places like Catinbluehat's video of Ryusuke's suspiciousness or Twitter users noting how Ryusuke appeared to be manipulated at some point or another, he's noted both for his potential villainy and being manipulated into it, respectively. I'll go through why I don't think he's Asat.
Within History of Graphia Family and Ryusuke's Work Appreciation (Part 1), it seems to establish a bottom line that Ryusuke is a largely mortal man with traceable origins that don't paint him as an immortal being of any stripe despite how he claimed, to us, that he sought many modes to overcome Himeko's Weathering Curse. As we see in Unraveled for Daybreak, Portrait of a Middle-aged Artist, he turned to any means necessary to find a cure for his daughter.
It could also be considered that this was a pressure point for Ryusuke, and a potential means by which he could've been manipulated. Of course, nothing can be proven as of the current date. If Ryusuke was a pawn of Asat Pramad's, then Himeko being used against him is a possibility, but we don't have definitive proof as of yet.
If this pans out that way, if Ryusuke was a pawn of Asat Pramad, then it's incredibly likely that his desperation to save his daughter could've been used as leverage against him.
Controlling the narrative (Finality)
In So Laughed the Masses, Serotonin Exposure Phobia, a rather curious fact arises: Asat Pramad is capable of interfering with Elio's scripts. But, he's presumably not the only one able to do this.
All the way back in Simulated Universe: Gold & Gears, specifically during Supreme Inorganic: Sanguine Condolences (III), we're told that Dongfang Qixing, the co-founder of the IPC, is capable of keeping things in control through omens--believed to be the visions or whispers of Terminus.
The means by which Terminus is likely traced can be discovered in the IPC Cuckoo Clock and the Broken Cuckoo Clock, which visually appear to be the same cuckoo clock. What both seem to imply is that this is the means by which the IPC tracked and possibly gathered divinations from Terminus, implying that the blessings of Finality alone aren't needed to achieve this. As this was done through Preservation, it isn't outlandish to think something similar couldn't be achieved through Elation, too, let alone other Paths.
(It should be noted, too, that even the Hunt is capable of divining through Finality. We saw this in action when Yaoguang foretold Dan Heng and Blade's fate.)
As noted in Cat Among Pigeons, The Devil in Velvet, Elio doesn't seem to actively control the script/fate so much as divine the future's many branches and choose pathways for the Stellaron Hunters (and Nameless) to follow for the best outcome. We see this detailed in the "bad endings" where Elio is credited as a Script Supervisor/Screenplay Director, and again in Exotale: Scene 8 that showed us a bad ending for Amphoreus he foresaw wherein Remembrance could've become the 4th Path in the Theory of the Four Apocalypses, a doomsday vision that informs much of HSR's current trajectory.
To summarize, it's not impossible for Pathstriders of other Paths to potentially interfere with the predictions of Finality/Terminus, or for seers like Elio/the Omen Vanguards to be foiled simply because Terminus isn't the only way to see the future via Finality, as we've seen with Yaoguang and the Eye of Istvara or the IPC and their cuckoo clocks. Nevermind the fact that other modes can reliably foresee aspects of the future (such as Erudition (Nous) or through diviners of the other Paths (ex. Fu Xuan and her Omniscia (gifted by Nous)).
While seers like Elio are undeniably gifted, their foresight isn't absolute and allows beings like Asat Pramad to interfere with these visions and/or scripts.
What about Isee and Asat Pramad?
This does beg the question: with all this in mind, with Isee's to-be released relic set containing a game die ring with the exact same design as Asat Pramad's head (which implies that Asat may be be able to control its outcome ala the Asat Pramad's Die (Head) curio), is it possible Asat manipulated either Isee or Ashveil in some way for the latter to attain his 'Shadow', as was revealed in Unraveled for Daybreak, Real Holy Laughter?
As others have explained prior, the motivation is present due to the deep and inexorable connection between Voracity and Elation as 4.X has gradually revealed. But, while the motivation is there, is it confirmed?
Simply put, it's not. But, the implication is incredibly interesting. While it's still debatable whether or not Isee is Asat Pramad, him (Isee) leading Ashveil to a 'Shadow' that is largely implied to be a fragment of Oroboros is incredibly suspect. If he (Isee) was actually Asat Pramad or manipulated by him doesn't really matter when Ashveil eventually wound up on Planarcadia, a planet infested with Voracity, well after receiving part of that Aeonic power for himself. (Could it also have been a foretold case of fighting fire with fire?)
Shapeshifting...?
In the Cosmic Date Roaming adventure mission, when Trailblazer connects to Penacony during an uplink, Sparkle is ratted out by Black Swan for impersonating Sunday, a fiasco that is discovered by Robin who is disappointed by this revelation.
In the Simulated Universe, we also learn that AHA once disguised THEMSELVES as a human Nameless and smuggled aboard the Astral Express for a year, culminating in THEM blowing it into two.
Now, the main reason I'm throwing this in here is to bring up the possibility that those associated with the Elation, whether Pathstrider or Aeon, sometimes possess the ability to shapeshift. In doing so, could it be possible that someone like Asat has a similar ability to do so, as he disguised himself as a distorted yellow smiley emoji, Mr. Meanie.
With that in mind, could he have disguised himself as people like Isee in order to lure Ashveil close to the Voracity if he's not Isee himself? We just don't know.
Conclusion
All in all, a lot of this remains up in the air. Based on the conclusions I've drawn and theories I've put forth before, aside from the fact that I highly agree that Absenti could be Asat Pramad, I still don't think Isee is Asat Pramad. As I've stated before, Lord Ravagers not only tend to be connected to the Path they oppose, but it seems unlikely that their personalities change exponentially between who they were before and after Nanook gazed upon them. And with Bragi's resignation, Absenti sounds eerily similar to Asat Pramad, nevermind how him rejecting the Elation fits Asat Pramad's own oppsition to THEM extremely well, whereas Isee has no known ties to Elation.
As of writing this, the leak posted above was deleted from Reddit by its OP, likely because of how unfounded it sounds. While I explored it to the best of my ability, we'll just have to wait and see until 4.3 releases to know for sure.
