Ishmael - Limbus Company

*Ishmael is a straight-laced and dependable woman with a tendency for blunt words. She was previously affiliated with the Pequod and its crew, and subsequently spent a number of years working as a Fixer prior to joining Limbus Company.

Ishmael is a woman of average build with a fair complexion and wavy, fluffy and voluminous knee-length orange hair, and she wears a thick headband woven out of rope with white ribbons on either end, a memento of Queequeg and a recurring feature in nearly all of her Identities. She has hazel-colored eyes, at times appearing yellowish or orange, with sharp eyelashes and thin eyebrows, and a number of freckles across her nose and cheeks. Outis describes her hands as "coarse and rough".

Ishmael wears the standard Limbus Company uniform, although her coat that is torn at the waist, cutting off the last two letters of her name. Her employee ID is pinned to the coat's right breast.

Her weapon of choice is a flanged black mace made of numerous, vertical white stripes arranged radially, and she carries a circular shield with three bands across the face, branded with the word "HEARSE".*

Ishmael is first introduced as a calm, level-headed Sinner with an expectation for sound and reasonable judgement. She considers herself to be one of the more sensible members of the team, and is often one to sigh or scoff at the foolishness of those around her. This tendency for being critical extends to her superiors, as Ishmael is the type to prioritize rationality above formalities. Generally, Ishmael does well to back up her somewhat haughty attitude with competence, making a consistent effort to stay informed on the current mission and the right course of action. She is also portrayed as an overall intelligent individual with a staunch, reliable nature. Regardless of her aptitude, however, Ishmael's quips tend to lean into antagonism, sparking arguments with those who rise to her provocations.

While Ishmael is something of a doubtful and antisocial person, she's also shown to be willing to build on her relationships. Canto IV sees her taking a harsh blow for Dante, despite previous complaints about them and their managerial prowess. Additionally, Ishmael will sometimes bring up her Whaling experiences as a way to try to relate to others, as with Faust in Intervallo IV: Murder on the WARP Express, although typically, her sociable side comes through in the form of banter, such as cheeky competitiveness, teasing, and bragging.

Despite her values, Ishmael can be considerably impulsive herself. Her emphasis on efficiency and adaptability leads to compulsive behavior when forced into situations she deems unreasonable. Intervallo II: S.E.A. sees Ishmael fall into neurosis as she is made to return to the waters which cost the lives of her former crew, resulting in her ceaselessly dedicating herself to preparations and snapping at anyone who attempts to undermine her anxiety. This culminates in Canto V as Ishmael's greater propensity for frenzy comes to light, and she is shown capable of excessive anger, violence, instability, and obsession in the face of her greatest evil. These feelings go hand-in-hand with doubt and depression as Ishmael loses sight of who she is, instead beginning to behave in a way similar to her former Captain. Her desire to kill the woman she resents ultimately concludes with Ishmael realizing that detaching herself from this obsession is the only way for her to rediscover a feeling of freedom and control over her life.

Post-Canto, Ishmael enjoys a strong sense of independence from the trauma that used to bind her. She expresses that she still has the ability to grow sharp and hot-headed, but by her own inclination, rather than being dragged along by an all-consuming fervor. Similarly, her motivation for questioning her coworkers shifts as she looks for reason to trust them. Still, she maintains a moderately standoffish attitude, being an unchanging core of her personality. Nonetheless, Ishmael's earnest relationship with Queequeg also speaks to a more caring, sensitive side of her when around the right people.

With Limbus Company, Ishmael proudly remains set on her own sail even as she follows her manager's lead, maintaining the core of who she is as she finds autonomy and balance in a difficult world.

Stories:

Ishmael was originally a desk worker for U Corp.'s Nest, in Marlin Port, having studied and struggled for a long time in order to find a stable job as a member of a Wing. The job left Ishmael unsatisfied and depressed, yearning for a great change in her life, which led her to quit and find a new place to start, with the thought on her mind that she would've liked to die near a body of water. That was when Ishmael met Ahab: she became deeply fascinated by the Captain's resolve and confidence, and decided to join her Whaling crew, obtaining a Grade 9 Fixer license. In her time at sea, Ishmael became familiar with the Great Lake, its environment and rules. During the Pequod's hunt for the Pallid Whale, one of the five Calamities of the Lake, Ishmael worked as a sailor and a harpooner, with her duties ranging from oil-bucketing to active combat. Atop the Pequod, Ishmael grew close to the crew, and all of them, strongly inspired by Ahab's words and trusting in their ability to hunt the Whale, started planning for their future once the voyage was over.

However, their wishes would not come to pass: around three years before the events of Canto V, in 981,[1] the Pequod was attacked by the Pallid Whale and sunk with most of its crew. Only Ishmael, who managed to hang on to the coffin Queequeg had built for herself, survived, staying afloat until the Whale disappeared in the depths of the Lake once more.

After the wreckage, Ishmael would spend the next three years working as a Fixer, taking odd jobs[2] that involved Outskirts and Ruins exploration,[3] with the final goal of one day finding Ahab, whom she believed to have survived the attack, and killing her.

Ishmael joined Limbus Company as Sinner #8 prior to January 984, quickly proving her worth to the LCB through her past Fixer expertise. By May 984, the group headed to the U Corp. Backstreets to prepare for a mission on a drilling ship in the Great Lake. Returning to her home district triggered massive stress and doubts about the team's survival, leading her to openly criticize Dante and Vergilius, violently clash with Heathcliff, and isolate herself from the rest of the Sinners. ​During Canto V, her detachment and insubordination escalated. She minimized her interactions, acted against orders by brutally executing neutralized Twinhook Pirates, and bluntly dismissed the fate of the kidnapped LCCB agent, Pilot. Following a battle with the pirates' First Mate Smee, where Dante had to stop Ishmael from delivering a fatal blow, the LCB rescued Pilot, whose trauma over losing his team deeply triggered Ishmael's own painful memories of her past crew. ​The search for the Golden Bough eventually led them into the Pallid Whale alongside the Color Fixer, The Indigo Elder. Confronting the Whale warped Ishmael's mindset, pushing her back into a revenge-obsessed state reminiscent of her old captain. Inside the beast, they found the Pequod's wreckage and reunited with Queequeg, Starbuck, Pip, and Captain Ahab. Ahab offered the Golden Bough in exchange for the LCB's help slaying the Whale, tempting Ishmael by offering a chance at her long-sought revenge against the captain. ​Upon reaching the heart, Ahab revealed she had sacrificed most of her crew and demanded the Sinners do the same with Dante. Refusing to submit any longer, Ishmael fought back alongside the LCB as Ahab manifested her E.G.O. and absorbed her remaining crew. After watching her old friends fall and nearly succumbing herself, Heathcliff and Dante pulled her back from despair. Backed by Queequeg's ghost, Ishmael drove her harpoon through the Whale's heart, slaying the Calamity. She accepted Dante as her new captain while keeping her independence, later confronting Vergilius in Canto VI to demand the transparency needed to fully trust the company.