Carmen
 |
For information on Carmen in Lobotomy Corporation, see Carmen on the Lobotomy Corporation Wiki.
|
|---|
Carmen (카르멘, Kaleumen) was the founder and lead researcher of the Seed of Light project. The project, and her untimely suicide, led to the creation of 
Lobotomy Corporation by her research team and ultimately kickstarted the events of both Lobotomy Corporation and Library Of Ruina.
Appearance
Carmen was a young woman who wore The Seed of Light Project's standard labcoat, unbuttoned and opened over her olive-green dress shirt, her short, black miniskirt, and olive-green shoes with darker-shaded tips.
Because her appearance was used as the basis of Angela's creation, the two looked remarkably alike, as Carmen also tied her hair in a ponytail on the left-side of her head, adorned with a red hair accessory—a bear hairclip.
Personality
In Library of Ruina, Carmen acts a lot more ambiguously malign than she was said to be at Lobotomy Corporation. Despite many of the Sefirot had nothing but good things to say about her (and Ayin, in particular really views her with nothing but praise), she is now a shapeless, omnipresent force who terrorizes the City through creating Distortions (many who are more than capable of destroying entire Backstreets or Nests). On top of this, she was also heavily implied to be advising Argalia to get all opposition out of L Corp's former Nest so they take the Light and presumably re-enact the Seed of Light using it, and at one point even tells him to surround and kill Iori.
Carmen has ascended into the Voice of the Distortions capable of Distorting those who are emotionally weak, while those who were capable of resisting her come out with E.G.O. She was also responsible for suggesting Angela to use the invitations for two reasons; to regain the Light required to unleash the Seed of Light that Angela denied full effect of, and to have Angela act onto her destructive desires of becoming human. As a result, she was also known as the "Will of the Library". When she was met by Angela in the Light, she tells her that she will continue acting as the voice of the Distortions "until the Cityfolk learn to look at their true selves and love themselves for who they are" before fading.
However, Carmen purposefully acting malignantly may be an incorrect interpretation. It may simply be Carmen reminding people what their inner desires are, and considering the concepts of Id, Ego, and Superego, this could be the case. Since the light was not delivered in it's full form, Carmen may not be aware of the instability of light seeded individuals.
Story
Past
Before the events of Lobotomy Corporation and Library Of Ruina, Carmen was a warm and sunny individual, holding strong convictions to her ideals—determined to cure The City and its citizens of "the disease of the mind". Her exceptionally magnetic charisma attracted many towards her, with even a Color Fixer and aristocrat coming to aid The Seed of Light Project after listening to her powerful speeches.
But after allowing Enoch to participate in the project's experiments which failed and killed him and being told (unintentionally) by Lisa that she should die, Carmen broke down and became a shell of her former self. Losing all of her optimism or joy, Carmen painfully succumbed to despair over a period of a few days, ending with her suicide in the bathtub with her wrists slit. She was conscious, but had her brain stem extracted by Ayin as the source of Cogito and placed into a tub, which forms the "Da'at" floor of L corp.
Present
After the White Nights, Dark Days, the City fell into silence until people start randomly transforming into monsters known as Distortions. These monstrosities are unprecedented threats against the City, and can arrange from non-sapient, self destructing people to Backstreet wiping monstrosities and to entire locations with numerous people turning into a single monstrosity. One of the most infamous of such cases was The Pianist, an unsuccessful bar pianist who turned into a horrifying abomination that killed 300,000 in I Corp's Backstreets.
Initially, the culprit was suspected to be Angela, something that Roland held onto until near the end of the game, since she halted the cumulation of Lobotomy Corporation's research midway for the sake of her selfish desires. However, as the game progresses, it turns out that people who were on the verge of Distorting heard a "charming and otherworldy voice", and Oswald even uses the term "Ms. Sun" to refer to it. The voice was implied to be Carmen, who has ascended into an omnipresent force, since she was the only person who fits these descriptions.
She was also heavily implied to be responsible for the circumstances that led to Philip meeting Oswald, something that would eventually lead to him turning into the Crying Children and thus the entirety of Liu Association's elites put out of the picture.
Most people who hear the Voice seem to outright Distort. However, Xiao (as well as Philip for a short time before distorting) was an exception; she was so far the only person encountered capable of fully rejecting the voice and manifesting an E.G.O. to deal with the Library with a push from Miris instead of actively distorting.
After Roland and Angela spare each other from their desires of revenge, Angela releases all the Guests and the Light from the Library only to be stopped by Carmen, who was taking the form of Angela's past self with red eyes. She acts as the boss fought in Realization of the Floor of General Works, wielding Wrist Cutter, Aspiration, Marionette, Frost Splinter and Remorse (Silent Girl's E.G.O.). After Remorse is defeated and Angela uses all nine of the extra E.G.O. pages, "Angela" reveals herself to be actually Carmen. With the true mastermind of the Distortions unraveled, Angela asks if she would stop what she is doing. Carmen answers her that she will not stop it until the "until the Cityfolk learn to look at their true selves and love themselves for who they are". Angela promises her that she will stop her as long as she is a part of the Light before the two fade.
Relationships
Ayin
Angela
Patron Librarians
Trivia
- Carmen's red hairclip is a mascot known as "Kkomi" who was a gift to her from Ayin.
- According to the 2021 Project Moon Q&A, Carmen is 169.7 cm (~5'6 and 3/4") but she likes to claim that she's 170cm (~5'7")
Gallery
Carmen's Sprite Sheet
???'s Sprite Sheet
E.G.O. Sprite Sheet
