Carmen

Overview

Story

"Wait!"

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For the phenomenon itself, see Distortions.

Carmen
Other Names
Korean	카르멘
General Information
Gender	Female
Height	169.7 cm (~5'6 and 3/4")
Occupation	Lead Researcher on Cogito (formerly) Concept within the Light
Affiliations	L Corp. (formerly)
Relations	Ayin (close colleague) The Human Sephirah (colleagues) Angela (basis for) Everyone in the City (watching over, potential Distortions)
First Appearance	Lobotomy Corporation, Day 26 (mentioned) Limbus Company, Canto IV (mentioned) Limbus Company, Canto VI (Voice Only)
Status	"Deceased", Active in the Light
Voice Actor	Lee Da-eun

“ No matter what I may become, please finish what I started. ”

—Carmen kicking the entire series into motion, Lobotomy Corporation

Carmen was a scientist invested in Cogito research in the hope of curing humanity's "disease of the mind" who would go on to become a looming figure across the Project Moon universe. It was her strong grip on the hearts of the people around her which vastly influenced the plot and characters of both Lobotomy Corporation and Library of Ruina.

Following the events which established Lobotomy Corporation, Carmen took a place within the Light, and now acts as a mysterious voice guiding City residents into either becoming Distortions or manifesting EGO.

Appearance

Carmen is a woman sporting long and choppy brown hair tied back into a ponytail and adorned with a red bear hair clip. She is seen wearing an olive-green, collared dress with four buttons, and a black miniskirt underneath. Over her dress, she dons a white lab coat draping past her knees. Her shoes are the color of her dress, with the toe to the heel being a darker shade similar to her skirt.

Personality

Carmen is a character most largely defined by others' impressions of her, rather than her own time in the spotlight. Lobotomy Corporation– as told by Ayin, who cared dearly for her– paints an unabashedly positive and sympathetic image of Carmen. She is depicted as intensely dedicated to her work and the happiness of those around her, acting as a guiding source of hope amidst a long-doomed world. She was known for having a particular draw to her and a good eye for people. Ayin describes her as a noble woman who cared so deeply for others that she neglected caring for herself. Her extreme distress and eventual suicide upon Enoch's death and the scorn she received for it back these impressions up.

Contradicting these accounts, however, are occasionally very concerning and intimidating depictions of Carmen. Netzach tells "X" (actually Ayin, who has his memories constantly wiped on a decade-long loop) that a voice came to him saying he must ask their "permission for anything. Even for death". Looks into Chesed's former life show Carmen claiming that she already knew without doubt that he would join her project, and that "no matter how great [he] may be, [he] will always be in the palm of [her] hand". The immense influence Carmen held over others sometimes carried an unshakably eerie undertone. Roland would form an iffy impression of her even through the Sephirah's praise, once remarking that she sounded like a cult leader.

The shapeless, charming voice that is Carmen throughout Library of Ruina and Limbus Company falls somewhere in between the more generous and questionable accounts of her. She states outright that she only wishes to help the people of the City to be true to themselves and love themselves for who they are. Yet her actions match her words poorly when her methods (via Distortion) consistently lead her targets into amplified emotional suffering and an uncontrollable violence.

Carmen's true nature and personality ultimately come out to be as formless as her current state of self, with handfuls of different characters arguing in favor of vastly different impressions of her, and devastations caused with what she asserts are nothing but good intentions.

Notable Distortion Attempts

Library of Ruina

• The Pianist (successful; Pianist died a Distortion)
• Philip (was originally rejected, however not entirely– ultimately successful; Philip died a Distortion)
• Xiao (unsuccessful; Xiao manifested E.G.O)
• Yan (successful)
• Roland (temporarily successful; Roland returned to normalcy)
• The Reverberation Ensemble (successful; Ensemble members died Distortions)

The Distortion Detective

• Moses (unsuccessful; Moses manifested E.G.O)
• Ezra (temporarily successful under the influence of a black box; Ezra returned to normalcy)
• YuRia (unsuccessful; YuRia manifested E.G.O)
• Fei (temporarily successful; Fei returned to normalcy)
• The Photographer (temporarily successful; The Photographer returned to normalcy)
• The Mock Exam (successful; mass Distortion found in a high school on N Corp. Nest)
• Laundry of Dreams (successful; was suppressed by Moses, Ezra and Vespa Cabro)
• The Human Thunderbolt (successful; was suppressed by Moses, Ezra and Vespa Cabro)
• Marksman of the Mist (successful; The Marksman died a Distortion)

Leviathan

• Vergilius (unsuccessful; Vergilius manifested E.G.O)
• Jumsoon (successful; Jumsoon died a Distortion)

Limbus Company

• Kromer (successful; Kromer died a Distortion)
• Eunbong’s Bar & Fryers Owner (temporarily successful; the owner returned to normalcy)
• Dongbaek (unsuccessful; Dongbaek manifested E.G.O)
• Dongrang (temporarily successful; Dongrang manifested E.G.O)
• Ahab (unsuccessful; Ahab manifested E.G.O)
• Bamboo-hatted Kim (temporarily successful under Monolith influence; Kim returned to normalcy)
• Aeng-du (unsuccessful under Monolith influence)
• Hindley (successful; Hindley died a Distortion)
• Heathcliff (temporarily successful; Heathcliff returned to normalcy)
• The Time Ripper (successful)

Gallery

• 

  Carmen from Lobotomy Corporation (6-34 story cutscene)

• 

  Eyes open version

• 

  Carmen's death, shown after Wrist Cutter's fight from Library Of Ruina (6-34 story cutscene)

• 

  Carmen and the City from after Aspiration's fight (6-34 story cutscene)

Trivia

• The red bear character that is Carmen's hairclip is called "Kkomi" and can be seen worn by multiple background characters across certain Limbus Company CGs.
• Carmen is the narrator of all Identity Stories that are not narrated by the Sinner themself, confirmed by Dawn Office Fixer Sinclair's Identity Story where he speaks directly to her as she narrates him gaining his Volatile E.G.O. and refers to him as "child", a recurring terminology for the featured Sinner.