Theodora
“"Θυμήσου, ƎNA: «το μόνο που χρειάζεται είναι το σωστό μέρος και το σωστό φαγητό.»"
("Remember, ƎNA: "All it takes is a place and the right food."")”
― Theodora, Dream BBQ
Theodora is a character who appears in Dream BBQ. She is the Genie found near the end of the first chapter.
Appearance
Theodora has two forms. The first is a round doll-like figure with features plastered onto it. The pink ears are always protruding, she also can extrude her arms. She has orange skin, pink and black clothes, and white eyeshadow.
Her other form is a realistic, large feminine statue, which displays her doll form inside the empty eye sockets.
Theodora with her arms horizontally extended.
Theodora with her arms vertically extended.
Personality
Theodora seems to greatly value the natural order of things; she will not grant what is not possible for a person to achieve and refuses to pass unfair punishment on others. While she is stern and willing to cleanse and forgive the sins of most people who come there, she also deems some unworthy, as she unforgives Ena and refuses to forgive Unforgiven Frank. She admires courage and determination to reach her space, the Bathroom, and is willing to grant even Ena an aspiration. When Ena requests to remove the smoke to be able to reach The Boss, Theodora questions whether her motives are sincere and whether that is her true goal, but does let her access the Smoke Room.
A broken Theodora[2] can be found in the Broken Palace if Ena fails to cross the river in The Core. This Theodora is apologetic, stating that forgiveness is the only gift Ena can never have. She recognizes Ena is confident in her ability to complete her task, but has some doubts about her ability to complete it, given where she's ended up. Theodora is still willing to help in any way she can, and does so by showing Ena her memories, letting her see a reality where she had succeeded, and taking her to the very same Smoke Room she would've been able to get to had she successfully crossed the river.
Despite her reservations about the motives of those who reach her and their abilities to follow through, both iterations of Theodora are willing to help them regardless. She will share her concerns, but will not interfere besides giving advice.
Gallery
Theodora tied to the well's rope.
Theodora's statue, smiling.
Theodora's statue, taken aback by Ena's request.
The top of the statue's head.
Broken doll form.
Trivia
- Theodora is one of the few characters whose in-game dialogue refers to Ena as "ƎNA" instead of "ENA".
- Other characters who refer to her as "ƎNA" are the Suspicious Man and Unforgiven Frank.
Cultural references and inspirations
- The design of Theodora's Doll form is reminiscent of a Matryoshka doll, a type of wooden doll originating from Russia.
- The Doll form's face somewhat resembles a design found on a textile created by the Paracas people, an Andean society that lived in what is now the Ica region of Peru.
- The way Theodora sings when Ena encounters her in the Bathroom bears some resemblance to some Orthodox Christian chanting traditions. Given her voice actress grew up in the Greek Orthodox Church[5], her singing might've taken inspiration from Byzantine chants, a tradition practiced in the Greek Orthodox Church.
References
- ↑ https://evannave.com/projects/2024-03-27-ena-dream-bbq/
- ↑ In the Supporter Edition, the broken remains of the former Genie is too referred to as "Theodora"
- ↑ https://www.worldhistory.org/image/4098/nazca-figure-vessel/
- ↑ https://barakatgallery.eu/artworks/categories/539/56236-nazca-fertility-deity-vessel-1-ce-300-ce/
- ↑ From a comment left by Erini Katopodis, on this Youtube video