Library of Ruina: City Encyclopedia

Collated by @WolvZephyr (​twitter​/​tumblr​)

Special thanks: Watson

Every detail in this encyclopedia can be cited to specific canonical sources

(​Lobotomy Corporation​ story, ​Library of Ruina​ stories & key pages, ​Distortion Detective
and ​WonderLab c​ hapters, Project Moon Q&A's, etc).
Feel free to send me a message if you want to know where to find specific pieces
of information; For example, the one place where the Head is mentioned as A Corp is
Mika's Key Page. Also tell me if something is wrong or an assumption!

Table of Contents
THE CITY IN GENERAL
DISTRICTS OF THE CITY
Known Districts

CORPORATIONS
Current Wings
Unknown or Destroyed Wings

FIXER ASSOCIATIONS AND OFFICES

Fixer Associations
Offices With No Association
Offices With No Known Association

SYNDICATES, TAILORS, AND PHENOMENONS

The Five Fingers
Syndicates
Phenomena
Unclear Origin

WORKSHOPS
Known Workshops

STORES AND RESTAURANTS

BONUS: RANDOM WORLD DETAILS
 THE CITY IN GENERAL
What is the City?
The City is the main location in the world of ​Lobotomy Corporation​, ​Library of Ruina,​and
other media created or sponsored by Project Moon. It acts roughly like a continent, and has 25
Districts, all with their own cultures and policies (essentially, like countries). It is ruled by the
Head, a de facto government. The area outside of the City's walls is called the Outskirts.
Cruelty and death are common in many areas; The rich are known to kidnap people and
force them into games for their own amusement, such as trapping them in a labyrinth with no
exit. Having wealth is the bottom line: All disease has been cured, but only if you can pay for
treatment. Body augmentations are as common as visiting hospitals and doctors. There is no
police or free peacekeeping force. Earning 4 million Ahn a month is considered upper middle
class.
The Great Lake​ is a large body of water on the border of Districts 19, 20, and 21.

What is the Head?

The Head is the most powerful force in the City, which is known to shut down with
extreme force anything they disagree with. They set policies for the City and enforce them
harshly. They are usually very quiet. (They are also known as A Corp. They manage and
enforce all patents for technology in the City.)
According to Roland, they believe that "the process of a human killing another being
should not be trivial or insignificant," which means guns (and especially bullets) are difficult and
expensive to obtain in the City.
Their ​AI Ethics Amendment​, as part of the eviction of non-humans, bans the creation
and existence of sapient machines. Robotic bodies, even for humans, are not allowed to
resemble humans too much. Suffice to say, if the Head finds an android they will remove it;
Machines are inherently lesser than humans in their eyes.
The Eye​ is their intelligence gathering force.
The Claw​ is their killing force, and the Arbiters are high level agents who manage the
Claws and wipe out the Head's enemies. The Claws are often sent if people breach patents.
Arbiters are easily replaced if they die.

What are the Outskirts?

The Outskirts are populated mostly by abandoned children and Sweepers, who are
cannibalistic scavengers that often prey on the children. At some point, intelligent or sapient
non-humans were actively driven into the Outskirts by the Head.
The Outskirts also apparently contain monsters similar to WAW class Abnormalities from
L Corp, judging from dialogue of the Rabbit Team of R Corp.
 What are Sweepers? (In more detail.)
Sweepers can also be found within the City's Backstreets, where they appear every
night around 3 AM to "clean". Their sweeps from one end of the Backstreets to the other last 80
minutes and are repeated until the "Night in the Backstreets" ends. They avoid causing a
disturbance during the day because it would be a public nuisance, but if the Head demands that
they act, they will.
There is a Mother of Sweepers that controls and is revered by the group, and they all
speak a special language that requires an interpreter. They view family as important and are
very articulate in their own language. They live off their hunts during the night to feed their
families (likely a metaphorical title rather than blood relation, according to Roland). Also,
apparently they smell terrible.
They are biologically made out of liquid suspended in their suits, which they collect and
consume from other humans by hooking them to their fuel tank (which causes them to melt).
The liquid is patented with the Head's approval, and it is required for one to become liquid to
become a Sweeper.

What are the Ruins? Are there other places past the Outskirts?
The Ruins are a mysterious place, said to have abilities that seem to be magic.
According to Moses, they can be found within the City very deep underground (~15 floors
underground). It is said that there are tons of creatures scattered around in the Ruins; By
Lobotomy Corporation standards, they would be similar to HE class Abnormalities. Deep in the
Ruins are monsters as dangerous as ALEPH class.
Beyond the Outskirts, there are beings similar to ALEPH class Abnormalities. In other
words, the reason why people do not search for places beyond the Outskirts or the City is likely
because there are terrifyingly powerful monsters there.
There is also the Black Forest, which is the place that the three bird Abnormalities
originated from. It is one of the places where the Well (the collective unconscious) seeps into
the world, but is otherwise fairly mysterious.
 DISTRICTS OF THE CITY
What are the Districts?
There are 25 Nests total in the City, and 25 Backstreets snaking through and around
them, making 25 Districts. Each District is managed by a Wing.
The Backstreets are mostly neglected, but Districts are shaped by Nest and Corp
policies. Nests and Backstreets are physically divided; The method depends on the District
(electric fence, forcefield, normal unguarded chain-link, etc.) but citizens of the City naturally do
not cross without a reason. It is easy to tell where a person is supposed to be.
This design is intentional. Backstreets-dwellers are motivated to work hard to enter the
Nest, while Nest-dwellers are motivated to stay out of the Backstreets by working hard.
According to Moses, there may be an additional hierarchy where some southern districts
are higher class than some northern districts.

What are the Backstreets?

The Backstreets are where most people in the City come from. Murder, organ
harvesting, kidnappings, and other things will happen to you if you aren't guarded. It is not
recommended to walk through the Backstreets at night, as Sweepers will show up en masse.
Night in the Backstreets is lawless: "Anyone is allowed to commit terrible acts at night." Going to
school directly can be dangerous due to walking through alleys, so the careful tend to do virtual
schooling or boarding schools.
Some Backstreets areas are examinee towns, where people study to take entrance
exams into Wings (and thereby obtain a home in a Nest).
Cannibalism is not rare across the City, but it is usually kept quiet. Usually only the
wealthy can consume human meat often. The exception is District 23's Backstreets, where
cannibalism is openly and regularly practiced.

What are the Nests?

Nests are a nice and safe place to live, as long as you have the money to stay. Most
who live in the Nest work at Wings (See Corporations section). Those who work for a Wing are
also called "feathers". If the Wing falls, the Nest degrades into a slum similar to the Backstreets.

Ezra's map from Distortion Detective.

 Known Districts
District 0/1?:​ On Ezra's map, a zero is written on top of the 1. This District is in the very
center of the City. Nothing is known about it (yet).

District 9: ​Although previously considered relatively safe, "The Pianist" wiped out 80%
of this district's population. It had a street where music was popular, and is now considered to
be an important place for musicians striving to replicate the Pianist's sound.

District 11: ​Its Nest is managed by K Corp, and it is considered one of the "more
decent" Nests. Due to being adjacent to District 12, it is having some trouble. Giovanni was born
in an orphanage there, where he met Carmen for the first time. (She was giving a speech but no
one was listening to her.)

District 12: ​The district that had L Corp and its Nest. It is currently in anarchy after the
sudden fall of L Corp. The White Nights and Dark Days originated from the Nest here.
Syndicates are fighting over the former Nest's land, which is covered in fog; The goal is to
occupy it so that the Syndicate can sell the land to the next Wing that gets assigned District 12.
The Eight o'Clock Circus also occurred here.

District 13: ​Roland's last location before he appeared in the Library.

HamHam-PangPang was established here.

District 14:​ Where Moses's Office is. In the Backstreets of this area, recording audio or
video is forbidden. If this taboo is broken, N Corp sends Taboo Hunters (high-Grade Fixers) to
hunt down and arrest perpetrators. The Nest is managed by N Corp, where all of the buildings
are painted pure white in color.

District 19:​ Contains a fishing hamlet, attached to the Great Lake.

District 21:​ San and Isadora, from the Zwei Association, are from the streets of this
district.

District 22:​ The Backstreets of this district are the turf of the Stray Dogs, and are
managed by the Thumb. This district's Backstreets is also where the Thousand Needles
phenomenon occurred.

District 23:​ This district's Backstreets are where cannibalism is very openly practiced,
and many residents pursue unique flavors, often with high amounts of cruelty. It is also known
as the "Street of Flavor". The most revered are the "Eight Chefs", who completely prioritize
human meat. It is said that if you aren't careful when visiting a restaurant, you'll end up being the
one on the plate. (This is considered high praise.)

CORPORATIONS
What is a Wing?
There are many corporations, but the Wings are the most powerful. All Wings have a
Singularity. The employees of Wings are called feathers. There are 26 Singularities and 26
Wings. (Assumedly, one for each letter of the English alphabet.)
The 25 Districts are managed by one Wing each. Depending on the preferences of the
Wing, every Nest has a different culture and every section of the Backstreets is treated
differently, whether it be amicable relations or thorough exploitation.

What is a Singularity?
A Singularity is a unique, patented technology. They wield immense power and often
break the laws of physics; Some Singularities can perform feats like looping time and
teleportation. Some corporations abduct random citizens to use as test subjects for Singularity
research. If a Wing is destroyed for whatever reason, their Singularity becomes public domain.

Current Wings
A Corp: ​The Head. They manage and grant all Workshop and Singularity patents.

F Corp: ​Its Singularity is the "Fairies," which can unlock anything that's considered
"locked", physically or conceptually. It can be used as a weapon, judging by the attacks of An
Arbiter (​Lobotomy Corporation)​.

G Corp: ​Its Singularity can freely control the weight of an object, and is utilized in one of
Namir Workshop's items. Specifically, it produces spheres that can control gravity.

J Corp: ​Its Singularity can lock and seal anything that is open or exposed on a
conceptual level. For example, it can force a lock on a person, preventing them from speaking
about specific information willingly (showing as a visible symbol on the back of their neck).
Cheap applications can lock boxes and small objects, while expensive applications can seal an
area of space or prevent a person's body from being dissected.
Their Nest is a center of gambling. Employees at one particular casino wear brown
uniforms covered in belts and pockets, and their work is looking at screens all day to detect
cheating.
 K Corp: ​Manages the Nest in District 11. Their Singularity, which involves nano
technology, allows people to recover from heavy wounds quickly. The HP-N Bullets used by L
Corp were manufactured according to an agreement with K Corp.

N Corp:​ Manages the Nest in District 14.

O Corp:​ Service workers in this corporation's Nest suffered from so much stress that
they became Distorted and their heads would explode.

R Corp: ​A militaristic corporation boasting high killing power. They have sections called
the Rabbits, the Reindeer, and the Rhinos. Myo is the team captain of the Rabbits, which are
considered the "fourth pack". They were formerly supplied energy from L Corp. They also
support W Corp.

T Corp:​ TimeTrack. Their Singularity is "the technology to preserve the present by

binding time". They specialize in time travel and time loop technology within a small area and
used to extend their services to L Corp's main branch with the TT2 Protocol after L Corp
invested great amounts of energy and money. Originally, their technology was limited to a single
room, and thus was only used for condemned criminals and those dying of disease for
sentimental purposes. Their Singularity is utilized in W Corp trains to collect time.
A somewhat expensive restaurant Roland likes has a customized stew pot from this
corporation that can make a tender meat stew (normally only obtainable when cooked for three
days) in a mere ten seconds.

U Corp:​ Sells "stasis preservation boxes" that can keep an item (such as food or an
injured person) in the same state when travelling. A board member of this corporation was killed
in the first-class seating area of WARP Train UW-212 by the Puppeteer.

W Corp: ​WARP Corporation. Their trains can get to anywhere in the city within ten
seconds and they produce teleporters, though many of its clients complain of feeling "all out of
sorts" afterwards. Their Singularity is "the restoration of a previous status". As long as all of a
person's pieces are present, they can be restored to a recorded state, including memory.
However, there are some small side effects such as slight changes in height or weight.
Their teleportation--or rather, space ripping--technology is actually the Singularity of a fallen
Wing that was purchased by W Corp. At first, their transportation services had many accidents,
but currently it has not had one for 10 years. They were formerly supplied energy from L Corp
and are protected by R Corp.
WARP Trains: ​Trains are sent to an extradimensional space for thousands of
years where clients cannot die and remain "in one piece"; For example, if they become
injured, their blood will follow them. Trains have a device from T Corp that collects time
(which they use for their own Singularity) so that no time "passes" in the carriage despite
travelling for thousands of years.
First-class seats, which cost two months of the average Nest-dweller's income and one
 year of the average Backstreets-dweller's income, put clients into stasis during the trip.
Once the thousands of years end, the clients' bodies are restored (as those with
economy seats tend to devolve into insanity and mutilation over time), which means they
believe that the train only took 10 seconds.
Powerful people like Colors and key Association members are stopped from boarding
anything but first-class, but in the event one slips through and fights cleanup agents, W
Corp calls R Corp to suppress them. Trains are equipped with cameras that only record
important moments based on emotional flux of passengers. WARP trains are considered
the only reasonable way to travel across several districts.
WARP Cleanup Agents: ​WARP employs cleanup agents whose jobs are to
board arriving trains and sort people by genome, returning them to their seats to be
restored with the press of a button. They are said to get their memories wiped (due to
knowing the secret of the Singularity) and retirement funds on quitting, but some agents
doubt this, suggesting W Corp would rather kill off quitters. Their space ripping
technology is used in their weapons and equipment for precise cleaving. The job is
horrendous considering the bloody state of most trains, and agents are at risk of death if
a dangerous or powerful person takes an economy-class seat.

Unknown or Destroyed Wings

H Corp: ​This corporation was destroyed by the Head at least ten years ago, after they
dispatched an Arbiter named Garion.

L Corp:​ Lobotomy Corporation. It was a power and energy company publicly known for
supplying Enkephalin, an "eco-friendly energy source" (and an addictive drug when abused). It
used to manage the Nest in District 12, but has collapsed following the White Nights and Dark
Days that originated from its main branch. Its Singularity, most likely a substance called Cogito,
can make human minds into a physical form. Unlike other Wings that require high examination
scores, L Corp had a low bar for entry. Currently, their Nest is in anarchy, which causes issues
for neighboring Districts. They used to supply R Corp and W Corp most of their energy.
Company work can be seen (and experienced) in more detail in ​Lobotomy Corporation,​
the game, set in the main branch (X-394). The webcomic ​WonderLab i​s set in a side branch
(O-5681), where people are given vacation days and allowed to leave the company grounds.
They also played a key role in rebuilding after the Smoke War.
There used to be another L Corp that was also an energy company. However, it was
stingy and strict with its energy supply and eventually fell, leading to Lobotomy Corporation
replacing it.

P Corp?: ​Mentioned as "P Company" in Shelter from the 27th of March's Abnormality
story. It's not confirmed whether it is actually a Wing or not, and it's not known whether it still
exists either.
 ??? Corp:​ One of Roland's acquaintances allegedly began jumping through dimensions
due to Singularity research. (PURE SPECULATION: W Corp has dimension/space ripping
technology, so it might have been them?)

??? Corp:​ In ​Lobotomy Corporation,​ Angela mentions a Singularity that produces "a
permanent food supply." She also mentions "Artificial Intelligence that was more real than
people".

??? Corp: ​Originally owned the patent for tattoos, which were a Singularity. This Wing
collapsed, however, so the patent expired.

??? Corp: ​Originally owned the patent for human silk, until this Wing collapsed. The silk
reflects the source material: A person who is fast will become cloth that allows its wearer to be
fast. The Carnival is known to use this method.

??? Corp: ​A collapsed Wing whose Singularity was able to rip holes in space and cross
dimensions. They were unable to find a useful application of it before they fell, but W Corp
bought the technology for a high price.
 FIXER ASSOCIATIONS AND OFFICES
What is a Fixer?
Due to the nigh-lawless nature of the City, the "Fixer" occupation came to be.
Essentially, Fixers are mercenaries who do jobs for money. Jobs can range from "find a lost
cat", "kill this Syndicate", "protect me when I travel through the Backstreets", "collect information
about this phenomenon", and more. Combat skill and combat-oriented body augmentation is
essentially a necessity to survive in the industry, especially at higher levels.
The title "Fixer" can be taken as both the ​English term (Wikipedia article link)​and as "A
person who fixes things."
The Hana Association gives individual Fixers Grades from 9 to 1. Fixers are better if they
have a lower number grade. For example, Grade 8 is better than Grade 9. Above Grade 1 are
the ​Colors​, who are each given a unique color to represent them.
Some Wings hire Fixers directly, such as the Taboo Hunters of N Corp.
Fixers also have their own ID cards.

What is an Office?
Fixers usually work for an Office as a group. An Office employs Fixers. They are subject
to hefty taxes to keep themselves open. Independent Offices take clients directly, and have
many different specialties. There are many Offices in the City; Apparently, there are so many
Offices and Fixers that the best way to survive in the industry is to stand out. There is a catalog
of Offices released monthly.
An Office must draw an official deed of contract when accepting a request to prove the
performance of an Office to an Association. When a Wing requests an Office, it is a sign of
prestige and often comes with a large payment but high danger.
The leader of an independent office is called an operator.
If an Office has a good track record and its specialties line up with an Association, they
may be given the opportunity to become an affiliate.

What is an affiliated (or Associate) Office?

An affiliated Office is one that works directly under a particular Section of an Association.
It receives jobs from the Association, which means it is in much less risk of closure from lack of
funds due to a stable salary. However, they are not allowed to decline assigned jobs, regardless
of their danger.

What is an Association?
There are 12 Fixer Associations, which all have their own specialties in work, such as
the Zwei doing peacekeeping and protection. Each Association is named after a number.
Associations typically have multiple Sections. The lower the number, the stronger it is;
For example, Section 3 of Zwei employs higher grade fixers than Section 6 of Zwei, and pays
them better as well. The leader of a Section is called a director.
 Although affiliated Offices exist, sometimes Associations will make requests to
independent Offices instead.

Fixer Associations
Hana Association
Hana is 1 in Korean. The overall manager of Fixer Associations. It grades Fixers,
Offices, and phenomenons/Syndicates. When a phenomenon raises in level, it is "exalted."
It is able to deploy Colors. Known Colors include the Red Mist (Kali), the Blue Reverberation
(Argalia), the Purple Tear, and the Black Silence. It is thought that a Fixer is only "truly free"
(from Offices, associations, etc.) when they are a Color.

The Black Silence: ​They were responsible for beheading the Pianist, ending his
performance.

The Blue Reverberation: ​Argalia is suspected to be seeking people with abilities related
to the Distortion. The Shi Association Southern Branch manager, Thelma, is assisting him.
Under Argalia's orders, Thelma assigned so many Urban Nightmare jobs to Section 2 that they
were worked to death.

The Purple Tear: ​She was mentioned offhandedly by Roland. Note that the title is "tear"
as in "teardrop."

The Red Mist:​ Exceptional even among the Colors, Kali was famous for her skills. She
only took requests for the sake of others and mostly stayed on the western side of the City. Her
title references the fact that she was capable of rendering the people she killed into a fine blood
mist. Notably, she once killed five Proxies and three Messengers of the Index alone. However,
she disappeared suddenly about ten years ago (having been recruited by Carmen). She was
born and raised in District 23's Backstreets.

Zwei Association
Zwei is 2 in German. This Fixer Association is dedicated to peacekeeping and
protection. Its motto is "Your shield." Its Fixers tend to use zweihanders and wear blue uniforms.
The director of Section 6 is named Walter.

Streetlight Office: ​A small Office associated with Zwei. When hired, they can prevent all
crime in a two block area. Their Fixers are tightly knit.

Shi Association
Shi is 4 in Japanese (and some dialects of Chinese, incl. Mandarin), and a homonym
with "death" in the same language. This Association specializes in assassination and discreet
killing. They look for efficiency, killing within a limited window of opportunity. Its Fixers usually
wear black uniforms with red accents and use Japanese-styled swords with red blades.
The demand for assassination requests is fairly high, as people with high-quality
equipment and augments still die easily if snuck up on, but there are also Fixers who kill
assassins.
The director of Section 2 is named Yujin. The Southern Branch's Manager is Thelma,
who is working alongside the Blue Reverberation for some reason. Section 3 and its Associate
Offices have been wiped out, and similar can be said for Section 2.

Liu Association
Liu is 6 in Mandarin Chinese. This Association works alongside Shi and Seven to solve
cases. One of their specialties is "all-out war in open fields where numerous people clash at
once".

Seven Association
Seven is 7 in... English. This Association specializes in intelligence and investigation
operations, who focus on precision. It is said that they know something about everything in the
City. Oink from the Musicians of Bremen used to belong to Section 3, but quit because he
couldn't forget the melody of the Pianist.

Moses's Office: ​Moses and Ezra are fixers affiliated with Seven, in District 14. They
investigate mysteries and unsolved cases, especially concerning the Distortion under the tagline
"the Distortion Detective". It is on Cookie Street. Recent witnesses of their appearance were
always followed with a Distortion case in the same location, which causes some to be wary of
them. Companies in the Backstreets are their most frequent clients.

Offices With No Association

Independent Offices are extremely varied. Offices generally have a uniform or cohesive
theme for recognizability purposes. However, Offices without assurance from any Association
can be risky due to potential links to dangerous Syndicates.

Dawn Office: ​An Office within a Nest, specializing in combat. It employs Grade 5 Fixers,
and its operator, Salvador, used to be part of the Zwei and is acquaintances with Walter and
Roland. He also participated in the Smoke War. It receives requests from the Zwei Association
but also does solo requests.

Dou Gui Combat Office: ​A Grade 2 Office specializing in combat in District 14. It has 17
members and is open 24 hours a day year-round. The main room of their Office is sparse and
dilapidated concrete. The representative of the Office is named Zhang Lei, a Grade 2 Fixer.
They are bound together by loyalty, and the representative role is passed in a hereditary
fashion.
 Full Stop Office: ​An Office specializing in firearms. They were directly requested by
Director Yujin of Shi Association Section 2 to assassinate the Church of Gears, or more
precisely, "kill ten worshippers of the Church, neutralize their leader and secure her." According
to Liwei, it is unusual for the director to personally give them the request.

Hook Office: ​A small Office of Fixers who specialize in brutal murder and "sending a
message." Some of its members come from killer Syndicates. Their outfits are more radical
compared to other Offices. Thus far it has only been getting requests from poor and low-level
Syndicates.

Molar Office:​ An Office with some prestige, although it is probably small. They were
contacted by T Corp. Olga, the operator, is friends with Myo, the captain of R Corp's Rabbit
Team. Their Fixers have an accent. They were on WARP Train UW-212.

Wedge Office:​ A sister office of Dawn Office that collaborates with them occasionally.
After dealing with The Eight o'Clock Circus, one of their Fixers had to get a replacement clone
body via "biological body-recovery insurance." Their specialty is swiftness and precision to hunt
down the enemy, by analyzing the capabilities of foes; This synergized well with Dawn's combat
skill.

Yun's Office: ​A tiny Office mostly employing Grade 9 fixers. It struggles to support itself.

Offices With No Known Association

Ame Office: ​A Grade 4 Fixer acquaintance of Moses, Kaoru, worked here. They were
wiped out by a large case of the Distortion at Tae-young Produce Company.

Cane Office: ​An Office that offered an untraceable 200 million Ahn to Gaze Office for
trying to uncover the secrets of W Corp's Singularity (which, if found out, means no insurance
will protect them from the Head). It is a notary public Office that officially administers contracts
made between two Offices, such as preserving evidence and certifying legal issues. Deals are
relatively simple, but one must bring relevant documents, including but not limited to a summary
of the deal's details, a notarial deed of promissory note, a migration permit for the Nest or
Backstreets of a given District, and a deed of forward contract.

Clam Office: ​An Office whose Fixers were secretly cooperating with Kingfishers, a
Syndicate. Currently, they no longer do so.

Gaze Office:​ An Office of Fixers with a technological motif, with heavy body
modification—Likely mechanical body replacement, similar to the Brotherhood of Iron (a
Syndicate). They used an observation device received from Cane Office and planted it on the
Molar Office when they got on WARP Train UW-212.

Roland's Office: ​This Office employs only Roland, a "washed-up" Grade 9 Fixer who
used to be a Grade 1 (or so he claims). He was walking around District 13 before being sent to
the Library suddenly against his will. Apparently he worked with the Purple Tear just before
arriving. He is over thirty years old, and mostly spent his time in the eastern side of the City.
 SYNDICATES, TAILORS, AND PHENOMENONS
What is a Syndicate?
Syndicates can be any group or organization of people. Unlike Fixers, Syndicates do not
follow procedures or fill out paperwork to prove their strength, instead relying on their sheer
notoriety. Many are gangs, cults, or organized crime syndicates like the mafia and yakuza.
Some are known to raid Fixer Offices to gain more infamy, killing as many Fixers as they can in
the process.

What is a Tailor?
Tailors create specialized clothing for Fixers and others. These clothes are special in
that they have better protective properties than armor, and they may come with special abilities
such as increased speed. They are extremely important pieces of equipment, and the prime
reason why no one wears plate armor. Thus, good clothing is also a sign of prestige and
capability.
As the only named group of Tailors currently known is The Carnival, they are listed
alongside the Syndicates for space reasons.

What is a phenomenon?
This term is unofficial, as far as I (Wolv) know. Because any notable event in the City is
given the same grading system as a Syndicate, it can be unclear whether something is a
Syndicate or a random event.

What are these titles?

Every notable event is classified between Urban Myths, Urban Legends, Urban Plagues,
Urban Nightmares, and Stars of the City based on how much people are willing to pay to
eliminate them. The Hana Association is responsible for these titles, which are updated as
necessary.

The Five Fingers

The giant Syndicates that manage the Backstreets. There are five Fingers, named the
Thumb/Index/Middle/Ring/Pinky, and they have their own territories. They have enough power
and influence to rival Wings, as they have hundreds of associated Syndicates.

The Index:​ It has the harshest rules, but if you follow them, it is relatively safe. The
Index is also the most lenient to minor transgressions, when others would kill you on the spot.
They are zealots who care heavily about their orders, or Prescripts, which are individually
numbered and delivered by Messengers, who view them as "a test of faith". If Prescripts are not
followed, the Proxies will be given a Prescript to punish the offender. Proxies have Proselytes in
their "familia"; Presumably, each Proxy has a group of subordinates that are called Proselytes,
who are all blindfolded. Their clothes are typically black suits with a white cape that has a
golden collar.
Prescripts:​ A Star of the City. It is not known who or what produces them, but
they always work out in the Index's favor. In fact, if you try to investigate it, the Proxies
will hunt you. Their contents are completely different from each other, and it is
impossible to expect when or where one will be given to you. Prescripts are given to
residents and Syndicates alike under the Index's protection, and in place of paying
money they must follow them. They can have seemingly nonsensical orders and some
have vague language like "kill the painting you've drawn" even though they are looking
for a very specific course of action. Some examples are:
"To Rimi. Deliver a bacon pizza to Danny's doorstep on 8th St. before 10 AM sharp on September 14th."
"To Jimin. Do not utter a single word for five days."
"To Lala. Put three needles in Lily's birthday cake by noon tomorrow." (Lily is Lala's neighbor.)
"To Sehee. If the first person you meet outside today answers your greetings by lifting their right hand, take
their heart out; if the person ignores your greetings, remove your own heart from your body."
"To Lee Deok-gu. Play rock paper scissors with the third person you meet and play rock. If you win, pull out
59 strands of their hair. Then, apply seafood-cream pasta sauce with mealworms fed on styrofoam to it three
times, and eat it with a fork."
"To John. Stand on any three-way intersection at 3:38 tomorrow, look to the east, and wave seven times."
"Eliminate the Thumb. No time limits."

The Ring:​ According to the Kurokumo Clan, they are probably more harsh than the
Thumb on debtors.

The Thumb:​ The Index and the Thumb are currently fighting over L Corp's abandoned
Nest. The Kurokumo Clan is one of their subsidiaries.

Syndicates
Rats: ​Poor Backstreets dwellers who group up into packs and prey on the weak to get
by. The packs barely qualify as Syndicates and work only to make ends meet. They have no
money, influence, or power. Attacking and harvesting organs ("gut-harvesting") from random
people is one of the things they do.

Axe Gang: ​An Urban Legend-class Syndicate. They appear to work with the Stray Dogs.
Their members are armed with axes.

Blade Lineage:​ A Syndicate that fights with the Kurokumo Clan.

Brotherhood of Iron: ​A tiny Syndicate, where its three members have replaced their
entire bodies with cheap metal forms bought from a Workshop in order to reduce living
expenses. They require brain fluid to function—because their brains are still organic—but no
longer eat, sleep, or drink.
 Constellars: ​A Syndicate that was raided by the Kingfishers.

Kingfishers: ​A Syndicate that fights with the Kurokumo Clan.

Knots: ​A Syndicate that attacked the Kingfishers.

Kurokumo Clan:​ A Syndicate that purchases silk from The Carnival, likely an Urban
Plague. They are a subsidiary of the Thumb which offers to protect people for money and
operates like a real-world yakuza clan. One type of cloth they purchased is called "Nuovo
Fabric'', which was stolen by L'Heure du Loup after she fought and killed much of the clan. They
manage some territory in L Corp's former Nest.

Little Piggy's: ​A former supplier of human meat to Pierre's Bistro. It sold expensive but
very high quality meat in small quantities.

Musicians of Bremen: ​A Syndicate that attacks random people and turns them into
"modern art pieces". They used to sell ingredients (humans) to Pierre's Bistro. According to
Jack, the sous-chef, they provided large quantities of meat, although unfresh, often containing
shattered bones, and mixed with different types. Its members wear animal masks, their names
are sounds associated with the animal, and they are dedicated to recreating the sound of the
Pianist in District 9. Some of their members have left. They were seen speaking with the Blue
Reverberation.

Naraku Clan: ​An Urban Nightmare, likely a Syndicate. Their patriarch was killed by
Section 2 of the Shi.

Reverberation Ensemble:​ A group formed by the Blue Reverberation, Argalia. Their

goals are unknown. Pluto is a member who has the ability to use magic.
Blood-red Night: ​A former Star of the City who was "shot down some time ago."
Church of Gears: ​A cult of Urban Legend class. Its leader is Eileen, and it
wishes to make people accept their status as "gears with a purpose." Perhaps due to the
Distortion, it can literally convert people into gears. After Full Stop Office attacked the
Church, Eileen was recruited by the Blue Reverberation. Eileen sent a doctor called
Jae-heon and a nurse called Elena (Pluto's disguises for the Puppeteer and Blood-red
Night respectively) to WARP Train UW-212.
L'Heure du Loup: ​A title(?) held by Tanya, who has the head of a wolf due to the
Distortion. She says that their "orchestrator" wishes to destroy Syndicates like the
Thumb and Index to "make music", while helping the Library. The orchestrator is implied
to be the Blue Reverberation. She killed a large portion of the Kurokumo Clan, stealing
the Nuovo Fabric they had just retrieved for the Thumb.
The Puppeteer: ​An Urban Nightmare. He is a member of the Reverberation
Ensemble. He strings people together as his puppets; They are still conscious, but
 forced to move along strings. He is affected by the Distortion. After harming VIPs on
WARP Train UW-212, he is likely to be exalted as a Star of the City.

Rusted Chains: ​Presumably a Syndicate that the Kurokumo Clan is fighting.

Smiling Faces: ​Potentially involved with Branch Manager Thelma and the Blue
Reverberation's plot to work Section 2 of the Shi Association to death.

Stray Dogs: ​An Urban Legend-class Syndicate. Its turf, District 22, is associated with
the Thumb. Its members typically deal in hand-to-hand combat, enhanced with special tattoos.
They had a deal with Walter from Zwei to trade goods from the Church of Gears for a floorplan
of L Corp's Nest. The Church of Gears wiped out more than half of the Syndicate, and due to
Walter's death in the Library, the Thumb is liable to purge the Stray Dogs for not obtaining the
floorplan.

The Carnival: ​A Syndicate (or rather, a group of high-class Tailors) that guts people out
in the open, managed by the Index. They are obsessed with spinning powerful human silk by
eating people (using formerly patented technology). Its members' names are greek letters and
they have been heavily modified into inhuman forms. Skilled Tailors typically belong to an
organization with an exclusive deal, but the Carnival is not directly affiliated with anyone despite
accepting Precepts from the Index.

The Eight Chefs:​ Stars of the City. The highest honored chefs of District 23, who
incorporate the entire process of cooking into their research into flavors. They exclusively focus
on human meat.

The Steel Comrades:​ An Urban Nightmare, most likely a Syndicate. Their captain was
eliminated by Section 2 of the Shi.

Yesterday's Promise:​ An Urban Plague. It seems to offer "contracts" to people: a "deal

with the devil." There was an orange symbol on the neck of the first Thousand Needles victim,
similar to a certain corpse with disfigured organs that some Rats discovered.
Thousand Needles:​ Written in the phenomena section.
 Phenomena
Distortion Phenomenon: ​An Urban Nightmare that may be exalted into a Star of the
City. It began after the disappearance of L Corp and the "White Nights and Dark Days" that
originated in its Nest. Although it has a low incidence rate, people turn into monsters purely
through powerful surges of emotion as a result, often killing others. It is suspected by Fixer
Associations that the Library is involved with the Distortion.
The Pianist: ​The first and worst recorded instance, killing 80% of District 9 and
decapitated by the Black Silence. Its performance shook the entire City with an
unforgettable sound created from its victims. The origin, known from a pre-release short
story, was a certain pianist who worked at a restaurant. Although he loved the piano, he
completely lacked talent; In a fit of despair after a talented customer upstaged him, he
threw his body at the keys and became Distorted.
Laundry of Dreams: ​An Urban Plague in District 12. It is a seemingly normal
coin laundry, but those who use it end up becoming completely different people
afterwards. It was retrieved by Moses's Office.
The Eight o'Clock Circus: ​A Distortion from District 12 with a circus theme. Its
leader wasn't particularly strong, but its "crew" varied; One creature was powerful
enough to destroy the body of a Wedge Office Fixer in one hit. It was handled by them,
but its leader escaped. Moses's Office appeared as well, late due to fighting crew
members outside the tent. The ringleader, Oswald, is able to Distort others in order to
have them join the Circus.
Other Cases: ​Due to how numerous the cases of the Distortion are, writing every
instance would easily fill several pages. Read Distortion Detective on ​ProjectMoon's
Postype (link)​.

The Library:​ Ranking changes based on where you are in ​Library of Ruina​. Managed by
Angela, the director, it sends out invitations that can instantly transport people to the library
when accepted. The invitations offer an ordeal: If the guests overcome the ordeal they can
obtain valuable books, but if they fail they will become books themselves in the Library's
collection. Guests are allowed to retreat. It is widely believed that there are monsters here, and
Angela is publicly known to be a polite non-human (machine). The Library is located in the heart
of the former L Corp.

Thousand Needles:​ An Urban Legend phenomenon, caused by Yesterday's Promise. It

was solved solo by a Dawn Fixer named Yuna. Its members started merging together using a
"brainstem focus resonator". Buildings started melting, needles began shooting out of the
merged pile, and people hit by the needles would explode into more needles. Strange symbols
were carved on every needle, likely proving the existence of magic. It occurred in District 22's
Backstreets.
 White Nights and Dark Days: ​A one-week event that affected the entire City,
originating from L Corp's Nest. For three days the City was bathed in light even throughout the
evening. Then, for four days, the City was utterly dark even during the daytime. It is said it was
as if the City was asleep or frozen during that time. L Corp fell and the Distortion Phenomenon
began to occur directly after this.

Unclear Origin
Fragment from Beyond:​ An Urban Nightmare destroyed by Section 2 of the Shi.

Midnight Pancreas Burgers:​ Involves a factory that was clean on the surface but did
terrible, nausea-inducing things (...making hamburgers out of pancreases). This request was
solved by Dawn Office, although they are loath to remember it.

Oblivion Ingots:​ Something that was retrieved by Section 2 of the Shi Association.
Whatever oblivion ingots are, the retrieval of them was considered an Urban Nightmare-class
threat.

Thin Beef Skirt Factory:​ An Urban Nightmare demolished by Section 2 of the Shi.
 WORKSHOPS
What is a Workshop?
Workshops are individual equipment manufacturers, who sell specialized weapons and
items to Fixers and others. Some especially skilled individuals are called Meisters, but this might
just be a self-assigned title. There are Workshop unions with certificates for identification.
According to Moses, northern Workshops typically put extra decorations such as ribbons on
their products.
For a workshop to produce guns or bullets, they require a firearms manufacturing license
that is difficult to obtain.

Is Workshop technology patented like Singularities?

All Workshop technology is patented, and those who infringe on patents will receive a
cease and desist letter up to three times. When a Workshop receives one of these letters, they
must pay all of the profit they made to A Corp (The Head). If you cannot pay the penalty by the
third warning, the Claw will come to kill you.

Known Workshops
Allas Workshop: ​Ezra has gloves from here that can accelerate her hands by five times
the velocity.

Atelier Logic:​ Assuming this is a Workshop at all, this Workshop produces expensive
bullets. They are used by Full Stop Office.

Fanar Workshop: ​This Workshop produces pressure bandages.

Koori Workshop:​ Ezra has gloves from here that can freeze walls.

Namir Workshop:​ Ezra has gloves from here that have a weight-changing sphere,
courtesy of G Corp's Singularity.

Nester Workshop: ​Ezra has a one-handed hammer from here that delivers a large
impact despite its small size.

Stigma Workshop: ​Ezra has a sword from here that has a heated wire. Dawn Office
also uses Stigma Workshop weaponry. The trademark of the Workshop is that the weapons
burn beautiful symbols.
 Union Co.: ​A workshop that produces ready-made bionic weapons. According to Taein,
a Hook Fixer, their prices are reasonable compared to most procedures and Workshop
weapons, and bionic weapons can be replaced or attached easily without worry of allergies.

YuRia Atelier: ​A Workshop that uses the Distortion to create a factory line run by stuffed
bears. It is one of the top 10 Workshops of District 14, with an exclusive customer membership.
Its owner, the Workshop Meister YuRia, is currently working with Moses's Office. She can easily
produce 11 pieces of equipment within one week, including night vision glasses and an
exoskeleton.
In actuality, she is not using the Distortion but rather E.G.O. equipment, which she calls
psychoment (as she does not know its L Corp origin or terminology). She swears to dedicate
her life to studying it.

??? Workshop:​ Mika's father used to run this unnamed workshop, but it was axed by
the Claw after he was tricked by an acquaintance into breaching a patent.

STORES AND RESTAURANTS

Cafe O'Mari: ​A store seen in the background of ​WonderLab​Episode 4. The only text
actually visible is "AFE O'MARI", but there's a coffee icon above it, so I'll assume it says "Cafe".
There's also a restaurant(?) called "GOT A"-something.

Coffing'Lee: ​A coffee shop seen in ​WonderLab​Episode 16. Also depicted in the

background are buildings labelled "Bakery-D", "Sunbeam!", and "Maniac"-something.

HamHam-PangPang: ​A store that specializes in sandwiches. It has a specialty

sandwich every week, and some of its sandwiches seem to be themed after condiments such
as mustard and mayonnaise. It is very popular, and it was established in District 13 within the
past ten years. It has been expanding into each district of the Backstreets and has boosted the
overall quality of life.
Translations of the July/August menu of the real-life store can be found ​here (link)​.

Juli's Restaurant: ​The place that the Streetlight Office would have visited had they all
escaped the Library (lol).

Pierre's Bistro:​ A restaurant in District 23 run by Pierre and her sous-chef, Jack. Like
others in District 23, they regularly serve and prepare human meat, and specialize in meat pies.
When they aren't supplied meat from Syndicates or other sources, they go hunting for
ingredients personally.
 Ran's Sidedish Stall: ​A grocery store close to Moses's Office in District 14. According
to Moses, its food is good.

Suck My !Enegy!: ​A soda brand seen in ​WonderLab.​ The cans and vending machines
are green and pink in color. The soda itself is bright green. "Enegy" is not a typo of this
encyclopedia; It is spelled exactly how it appears in the comic.

Tae-young Produce Company:​ A rather large produce company in the Backstreets of

District 14. Their building is 10 stories tall above-ground, with 15 basement floors. It is a corrupt
company whose employees use sleeping chambers because they work overtime so often that
they cannot go home, although the manager says it is common practice for firms. Their
employment contract forbids employees from leaving when the company closes business, such
as during an emergency lockdown.
 BONUS: RANDOM WORLD DETAILS
Please take this section with a grain of salt, as this is purely based on observation
of the dialogue and writing. Project Moon can easily overturn most of these patterns, and
they can be read differently depending on the person.

Names and Language: ​In the City, it appears that people don't care whether a name is
traditionally feminine or masculine. There are cases of women with traditionally masculine
names (e.g. Elijah) and men with traditionally feminine names (e.g. Emma), and it is never
commented on or treated as odd. Entirely unusual names like Alpha, Beta, and Gamma also
occur in the City.
Also, because there are no locations concretely analogous to real life places, characters
seem to freely have names from many cultures/languages, such as Jae-heon (Korean), Noah
and Gabriel (Hebrew), Giovanni (Italian), Sayo and Tenma (Japanese), Olga (Slavic), Kali
(Sanskrit), Liwei (Chinese), Michelle (French/Hebrew), etc.
It is not mentioned if there are more languages spoken in the City than one, other than
the Sweepers' unique language.

Discrimination:​ The City does not appear to have any form of race or gender
discrimination, although clearly stated LGBT+ characters have not appeared directly. If I had to
guess, wealth and power take much higher precedence in a society where you can physically
modify your body so that you can jump from ground level to a room seventeen stories up.
In that way, I guess "class discrimination" is extremely strong in that the rich are
ridiculously powerful, what with the whole "kidnapping poor people for fun and putting them in
death traps" thing.
In terms of "age discrimination," child labor might not be illegal or unusual, at least in the
Backstreets. At the very least, there is a high quantity of short and possibly young people in the
City doing dangerous Fixer work. (And considering the amount of murder and atrocities... what's
child labor on top of that, I guess...?)

Day-to-Day Technology:​ Although things like surveillance cameras, complex AI, and
monitors are seen frequently in Nests and Wings, standard computers have not been seen in
everyday life. The Internet probably does not exist???
Characters have been seen using phones (wireless landlines), receiving messages from
pagers, and using earpieces and radios. It's not 100% clear whether or not cell phones exist, but
smartphones almost certainly do not exist or at least are not available to the average City
denizen.
Television and newspapers do exist. In ​WonderLab,​ it is clear that both cartoons and
news bulletins are aired on TV.
Cars and streetlights exist, but traffic lights have not yet been seen outside of Alloc's
face (from Gaze Office) having a green-yellow-red light pattern.
 The Smoke War: ​Details about this event are foggy (pun unintentional). From as far as I
can tell, it was a massive battle between Wings (one of the "Wings Wars") that employed the
use of chemical and biological weapons, and caused mass death and bloodshed. The deadly
effect of the "fog" is described in Dream of a Black Swan's Abnormality story. This likely
increased the number of abandoned children in the Outskirts. R Corp was also likely involved in
some way, probably as combatants.
It was a somewhat recent event, given that Salvador of Dawn Office fought in it and
Rose from ​ WonderLab​was a child when it occurred.

Animals??:​ I'm mostly adding this because we haven't seen any actual animals in the
City yet. There is plenty of animal theming, such as masks (Musicians of Bremen), clothing
designs (Vespa Crabro), and Distortions (Tanya), but an actual living undistorted cat or dog etc.
have not yet appeared directly. Beef and other meats have been mentioned, so assumedly they
do exist... somewhere.
However, cats are confirmed to be kept as pets based on a Grade 9 Yun's Office Fixer
mentioning a "find [a] lost cat" request. ...Maybe they're uncommon among Fixers and
Syndicates, considering the danger of their work?