i dont know what this is anymore, either Hi hi! I go by Mani on pretty much every platform, but I've had this username on here for a decade and I refuse to change it now pfp by ColexicanaDraws!
This is such a surface level observation and has surely been brought up before but Ena's hungover form has that giant ass hole in her torso, in which her anomalous form peeks through. I think there was leaked dialogue where she's asked why she works so much, what she could possibly use the money for, etc to which she says she doesn't do it for the money.
So obviously she's filling a very personal goal- probably trying to discover herself in a sense? Or disillusioning herself about who she is versus what she's perceived as maybe?? Just because I know series Ena got a human-esque form too and I just wonder if they mean/symbolize similar things. If perhaps Dating Oblivion Ena could be a more true or even enlightened Ena? Though that begs the question as to why she wasn't her normal self before too. She was small and a little different in the face. Perhaps hungover Ena and drunk Ena are more comparable for the obvious namesakes? But I won't lie, I find the web series Ena much harder to speculate on...
But anyways, I find it so interesting that hungover Ena in both the human body and the hologram thing only utilize the meanie voice. I've always wanted to make a giant post about how I interpret each side of (both) Ena's as essentially "palatable outside presentation" versus more "truthful and intrusive/inside thoughts spoke aloud." Obviously in their happy/salesperson and sad/meanie sides respectively. But if meanie is the more blunt, honest and fed up voice, what does that say about hungover Ena? People have made food theories so much more eloquently and properly than me so I won't even go into it but is she so hungry that she can't put up a front? Given up so deeply that she can't pretend to care?
Even Greena who I assume to be the extreme version of her opposite side seems worn to the bone- deteriorating from probably doing too much and pushing past limits. Perhaps so blindly and utterly obsessed with completing her jobs and perhaps purpose that she literally falls apart. Like I said, I'm certain this has all been said before but I just thought it was worth a ramble.
just using this as an opportunity to give a small heads up that, due to a short story even shorter, i've had to switch from a screen tablet to a screenless one
so bear with me a moment while i adjust to the new setup 🫡
Pspsps... if it's not too late.. vote for her.....
[ID: colored and shaded art of ENA from ENA: Dream BBQ in 3 various poses. Her design is slightly altered in that she has markings on her face and limbs that change depending on her emotions. In the first pose, she is standing casually as she smiles with her red side, red hand on hip and the other holding her hat. The second pose is bust-only, with her holding up a middle finger with her claw hand, white fangs snarking at whoever she's looking at, and her red side emptied out to a dark gray void. In the third, she is on the ground, back to floor, arms laying above her (hat-less) head and her knees tucked together as she stares at the viewer with a slight, pale smile. End ID.]
Discriminated people on the daily fight to be perceived as normal just to do their job like their normative peers. That is, essentially, a job that is not paid, extra work that in the end is never aknowledged. And so, more exhaustion is always guaranteed on This Worker:
This title card in the trailer, has always picked at my attention for how vague it is, particularly because the wording seems to recall on a philosophical or theatrical archetype. But also it seems to spike a question: what is ƎNA's job? It is never mentioned but its presence in the story is overwhelming and causing her and perhaps other characters huge amounts of distress.
My theory is due to her belonging in one if not several discriminated communities, she has this extra job that is constantly fighting other people's bigotry to just get to experience a regular day of work. The game is ONLY about this "job", about how these tasks to be on the nice side of people and of deserving the category of "normal" and therefore "lovable" consume her and her life.
I believe an intersectional analysis of ƎNA and her behavior would be at the very least interesting. Like, looking at how she behaves and the motifs in her story she has been speculated that she could fit in several minority groups:
-Woman/female-presenting: prominent hips and chest and what is usually seen as a feminine haircut.
-Japanese ancestry: her name is Japanese, many symbols in the game are Japanese (design of the Red Outworld, temple roofs, shide, her harisen tool she uses against the Smoke Machine, small toilet shrine...). There have also been theories of her being mixed with indigenous Peruvian but I don't quite know the details exactly other than the creator being also Peruvian and Perú having quite a big community of mixed Japanese and Peruvian ancestry (or Nikkei)
-Queer (be it due to her s3xual attraction or gender presentation): we see her biggest desire is shown in the shape of a female/feminine character asking her for a dance, at the same time her conversation with Coral Glasses appears to lean on the suggestive more than otherwise. Her gender presentation appears more masculine or neutral when she seems to want to appear attractive, no matter how expressive she is.
-Neurodivergent: autism, adhd, ocd... repetitive and quirky behaviors, she twists her language beyond how any other character does, she seems to obsess over issues that don't matter to others...
-Poor: her behavior seems to be driven by desperation as many deem her untrustworthy/scammer (these could also be tied to regular Asian discrimination) and is told that she "don't even make cents".
I also want to talk about how there's numerous mentions of addictive substances/experiences, be it: cigarettes, drinking/alcohol, slot machines, the s3xual/predatory/cultist concept of the Purge Event, and a future form of hers named "workaholic". They may not be explicitly tied to her but their strong and reiterative presence seem to point at her addictive personality.
Her surface goal, defeating her loneliness (as we see how she ventures into the Lonely Door first thing) seems to take her places where she behaves desperately. She probably arrived at the PE with the yearning of being heard and understood but when she arrives nobody cares for it. Sadly, by then she can't allow herself to leave, she has sacrificed so much of her time and effort, she'd feel ridiculous if she did.
Perhaps she is feeling so starved for affection she needs to believe anything or anyone will do. So she tries to dip herself in delusion and just follow the "whistle" and the "dancing eyes"... and that will come from anyone who will be willing to look at her.
She knew all the people in that party had looked at her and her desperation in disdain; and, in that environment and state, she can only attract the worst entities.
She is so hungry but can't help being the one to be consumed.
The "looping predicament" Froggy speaks of could be of her attempting over and over to be liked and pushing through the bigotry and microagressions or by trying different coping mechanisms.
In the end it only harms her, and I believe the why is said pretty succinctly by this guy:
Perhaps replaying the game while noticing her corporate/work-related vocabulary with this new outlook on it can help descipher more easily what she is doing and her intentions. Like a "fellow entrepreneur" could be someone who struggles socially for similar reasons to her and might be trying to push through it.
