copperx3

Part 1: What we see, what it is, what we're told

Let's start with the easy ones

First: Color and how it works

The first thing you notice is that there's only two colors beside the blacks and whites: Red, and blue.

For now

What matters about this, and forgive me for my lack of theory, is how it works with your attention. Everything is muted except the red parts and (partially) the hair. This will draw your eye to specific parts of her design, and you will remember it. This also makes the moments where she does open her eyes a bit more impactful because of the contrast.

It's important you remember these in specific because they all mean something. However, it's not only about what stands out, but also what doesn't.

The second easy part: The ABC Trio.

We all know the hair tie is an allusion to Carmen. It's important that it is not literally their elements, but they call to them. Carmen's hair tie isn't red, it has a red kkommi, but the tie itself isn't red.

Then immediately after we have the second red element: the neck tie, Benjamin's

Benjo does not get a full section because his visual influence is fairly short. The tie connects her to him, the tie is right over her chest, he is her first friend, he is involved in her programming, he is who advises her to be kind. Benjamin is signaling at her heart.

And finally, Ayin: the eyes and the general scheme

While they all have white lab coats, it's only Ayin who dresses in black like her.

There is one last red element: the shoes. This one is a little bit obvious but a little bit long. Project Moon loves their archetypes, and loves doing these little things. The Red Shoes are, well, alluding to The Red Shoes, which is very much in the game with its own twist.

In the classic tale, the protagonist is a vain little girl who chooses the dancing shoes over what is "appropriate" and "correct". Different characters seemingly "curse" the shoes to keep them dancing like she wants, regardless of her wishes once she starts disliking how much it gets in the way. Eventually she asks to get her feet cut off because she can't get the shoes off, but the shoes with the amputated feet continue to dance and haunt her. Only by being A Good Christian and praying she gets forgiven.

In the game, The Red Shoes has a slightly different approach but it does talk about a similar desire. The difference is that instead the user does not wish to take off the shoes but violently defends them. The Red Shoes is about uncontrollable obsession and being overwhelmed by desire, the shoes amplify your urges. Notably, it also points out determination as a useful virtue to wield it. Does it ring a bell?

The shoes subtly foreshadow this, that she will act rashly and be guided by desire at some point. You're supposed to make the connection with the abnormality (like in many other cases. Say, Snow Queen, Burrowing Heaven, Bloodbath), and then, note the differences between it and its inspiration as an archetype. Where does this desire lead? how does Library of Ruina end?

Now, I want to mention a couple of details before pivoting into something broader.

Her bangs are uneven, like Carmen's.

It is like that by design, not as a result of the side tail

The implication here is that Ayin had certain details in mind, and cared enough to keep that in specific. You learn about people by listening to what they say, and looking at what they look.

Additionally, it means the side tail was her doing. She put on that hair tie, and took it off. These things are important. I'll get there soon.

Okay but why does she look like that? Why a side tail if Carmen has a ponytail? what's the deal with robot boobs?

A character design is meant to do a lot of things, but as anything art, its primarily communicating. We've talked about how these colors and elements connect to other characters who are, in some form, her creators (Carmen indirectly so, but they're all the roots of her existence, like parents-), but there's more to talk about.

Part 2: The Hair

The Sky, Childish Innocence, and Death

First and foremost, her hair is a specific shade of blue that is repeatedly used in this game to allude to Death, Negation, and Justice

PALE

Pale is a type of conceptual damage like the rest of the colors (RED, WHITE and BLACK). PALE is notorious for damaging your very essence rather than something tangible, which translates to %HP damage against the player. PALE damage is, like the other three, also associated with a virtue and a work type, a method of interacting with abnormalities, that being Justice: The capacity to act decisively- Justice increases your movement speed and attack speed as a result- and Repression: negation of the meaning of existence, denying desires, purpose, and the self.

There's a popular theory that the 4 virtues, the 4 works, and the 4 damage types, are a way of unifying Dante Alighieri's usage of the virtues, concepts of psychology and treatment, and the Horsemen of the Apocalypse. While these are not expanded and it's hard to say if that was genuinely the intent, they have a sense of coherence with each other (Fortitude is physical prowess (HP) -> Instinct work is physiological needs -> RED damage is physical damage. Prudence is knowledge and the capacity to evaluate (SP) -> Insight work tends to environmental needs to appease the mind -> WHITE damage is mental damage. Temperance is self restraint (Work effectiveness) -> Attachment tends to social/emotional needs -> BLACK damage erodes the body and the mind. Justice is the capacity to act (speed) -> Repression work aggressively suppresses the meaning of an archetype -> PALE damage hurts your very essence).

Regardless if the damage types are meant to be the horsemen, PALE is strict, decisive, and ultimate. Ruina further associates PALE and Angela with death ("The Librarian of Death", "The Pale Librarian"), but Lobotomy Corporation already does that when Angela mentions the origin of her name: Angelos.

To make it very short, Angelos is a greek goddess who has influence over the realm of the dead. There's some associations between Angelos and Hecate, but it's not too important.

Angela is from her name to her role to her color to her context to her sequel surrounded by death.

Secondly, let's talk about the Sky

The color of my hair is that of the morning sky after a light shower.

To make it very short, this is about Carmen. Every fond memory of Carmen has her and Ayin out in the field, green pastures, and a clear blue sky. This background is her- plants, the sun, and the sky are Carmen. The very background of Da'at is the same scenery, but distorted with strange homes crashing into the ground.

We won't get into the meaning of this background here, but it's important that you understand THIS field is associated with Carmen in Ayin's mind, and that Angela's choice of words are not a coincidence (Consider the rest of the quote is "The tone and shape of my voice is taken from the wisest person in the world. Lastly, my face is picturesque of the person who had the most beautiful smile." And we know Carmen's desire to be known, and how everyone talked about her voice and smile).

Lastly,

An Innocent Desire

The side tail is cute, isn't it? Almost uncharacteristically so. Adults don't tend to wear side tails, those and pig tails are associated with children and their behaviors. Ayin didn't do it since she wakes up with her hair loose, so putting on the hair tie was her choice.

What does this say?

First, that she decided to draw a closer resemblance to Carmen, perhaps believing that way she is doing what is expected of her and will be rewarded, just like following the script, just like following Benjamin's advice on having a kind heart. Second, that her approach to doing these things is of someone who is just starting to make any sort of decision. She does not have these notions of how to appropriately wear something, it is reminiscent of a small child putting on their parent's shoes.

Angela, when she just wakes up, despite knowing that Carmen is dead, despite being able to easily draw the conclusion that Ayin is emotionally devastated because they had a bond, cannot understand what's going on around her, and sheepishly asks Benjamin for answers. She doesn't know why Ayin behaves like that, why she exists, why the world feels wrong- she just wishes for some comfort, and the only thing she knows is Carmen's memories. She is a child in an adult mind and body, mimicking who is symbolically her mom and following the advice of who is in a way her dad, because it's her only notion of what existing entails.

Is it strange that a little girl would wear her hair up like a little girl?

Malkuth realization is painful about this characterization. Every single exchange is a kid trying to understand why her dad hates her, going back to her other dad to ask what can she do about it, and is told that she has to obey and do her best. She's quick on understanding the logic behind the script, but emotionally she's lost.

The hair is this part of her character. The last innocent hope that doing what she's told and working will net her the approval of what is a parental figure, what should be an example, safety, and comfort. It's in contrast with her cynical speech and exhaustion, with that anger hidden behind a veneer of corporate politeness.

But we know how that plays out, don't we?

Part 3: Carmen didn't look like that

Anyone with minimal observation skills can tell this. The resemblance is spotty- it is there! But only in some aspects. Like I said, we can learn from someone from what they talk about and what details they pay attention to. We can also learn from what details they avoid.

Carmen's outfit is mostly practical except for the skirt, but it doesn't draw any attention. She stands firmly and confident, is known for being a loud and bright presence, and having a really messy work space, as well as the messy ponytail and slightly unkempt hair. Angela is wearing a pencil skirt, tights, red high heels, formal shirt with a formal vest, and has her hair tidy.

Carmen is really skinny. Angela has the very notorious chest (that, importantly, her posture accentuates) and apparently more leg meat.

The reasoning is simple

She's not to be a replacement, but to be of comfort. However, this very action by itself is the last bastardization of the memory of Carmen. He took her face and voice and glued it into a big titty doll on a sexy outfit. Ayin did not do this in sound mind, Angela's first words were a reminder that this was something real that he did with his own hands, it was a slap that woke him up from that work stupor, and the result was visceral disgust and rejection- he hated himself.

It's important to understand as well that Angela's role despite being a metaphorical daughter is to be motherly- she is to take care of him and his emotions not the other way around. This happens regardless of his rejection in other ways, in how she has to dance around him and his feelings in order to get him to do what the script demands, in a twisted sense of nurture.

This is again another distortion of motherhood. The other is, as you have guessed, Carmen: the mother of all abnormalities, the woman who lost her adoptive child, the one with the crashing homes.

While we could associate her sexualized appearance again with death and its counterpart fertility (hint: Hecate. Hint again: in Ruina her coat has wheat patterns, associated with this same idea), it is not something that stays like the hair color, her role, and other symbolism- the sexualization stops the moment she ditches the desire to be acknowledged (don't worry, THE WHOLE FANDOM will discuss her tits, you will hear about this change against your will. A lot). This uh voluptuousness is associated with motherhood and emotional care, and- well I mean the guy had more than just a desire for comfort, right? we all played Silent Hill 2.

Part 4: Innocuous

Lobotomy Corporation is very good at playing with expectations and then pulling the rug on you. It describes itself in terms of other things (like SCP) and presents itself with familiar tropes and a particular type of humor. Anyone in the indie games scene and being online knows this kind of tone.

The initial impression is that these are just characters in suits, the story is satire on corporate cruelty, and nothing is particularly deep- Wouldn't it be funny if SCP exploited the creatures for profit rather than protection? Let's make it funnier by keeping the robots safe while people die, let's lean in by giving the robots mental illness. You're just a poor guy with your cold and corporate sexy AI assistant that sasses at you and Amazon Training Video's at you about dying for the company.

You're meant to take it at face value at the start. Angela is superficially tropey as hell, you will not blink twice at AI sexy assistant, we live in a world with AI girlfriends on your phone. Nothing about her appearance is special, it's literally anime hair cute sexy girl in formal wear.

They are very deliberate about this like every other rug pull. She's just appealing, you know? no meaning behind her appearance.

Part 5: Details and Ruina

Her Ruina designs (specifically the raven outfit and the librarian outfit) build off of her Lobotomy Corporation outfit. She cuts down her hair, conceals herself with more death, and then, dresses in something of her choice.

The librarian fit ditches the tight skirt, the demure pose, and the accentuation of her chest. She is comfortable, first and foremost, and her standing square with her arms to her side present her not as strong necessarily, but definitely not submissive.

The coat is adorned with wheat, a common symbol related to the harvest. Persephone, for example, is associated with the changing of seasons (spring specifically), harvest, and death.

Her new hair instead of alluding to Carmen resembles Ayin, but not entirely. It has a slight resemblance to Benjamin as well.

Ruina will present both Carmen and Benjamin as guiding parental figures with their own ideals, methods, and flaws, but now Angela is in the emotional realm of "young traumatized adult". She behaves like a volatile teenager throughout Ruina because she's emotionally there- she's gone through a lot but never got to grow emotionally, she's stunted, even if she has changed in other ways.

Conclusion:

took me like a year to draw bcuz my brain has holes in it. Also original pic