KA Byrnes – Page 34 – Enneagram and Encaustic

HAWKEYE, NULL

The first time we meet him in the MCU he’s co-opted by Loki and brain-manipulated into a villainous henchman. Bad choice! He becomes likable in later movies, but he’ll always have the taint, our memory, of the evil version of him.

(Why do so many movies remove a character’s free will? I hate that kind of lazy writing, but that’s another topic, lol.)

Later we learn that Clint has a family. He ends up as the most normal superhero in the series. When we finally spend time with him in his own show we see he’s dogged, dutiful, and honorable. His family disappeared in the Blip and he lost it, turning rogue. He’s really just a dedicated dad and husband who can shoot arrows.

Actually, I think he’s written all over the place. Early on, he’s not a character at all, just a plot point. He’s the Avenger with no back story. Even his eponymous series is more about the young woman who will team with him than it is about him. I want to call him a Null, a character the writers didn’t develop with enough consistency to fit into an Enneagram identity. Does he pull it out at the end in Hawkeye? He has the trooper qualities of a Six, although he’s much too physically fearless for that. He has the recklessness of a Nine in trouble.

No. I refuse to examine a character who’s been in multiple properties yet only begins to develop at the end. He’s important enough to deserve a fully-fleshed personality, and I find it disrespectful to the character that they did not give him that. A Hawkeye written with integrity helps the showrunners craft a better story and gives Renner more foundation for a better performance. Someone this haphazard is a Null.

Mum over Lava

Another repurposed piece, this was a screenshot from The Elder Scrolls Online of a volcano overflow near Ebonheart. (The lava still remains as the orange underneath.) It’s another encaustic I never posted because it was nothing special, and then the non-archival print faded with time.

The Beacon

There’s nothing we can do for Nihlus. A dockworker saw the whole thing and tells us about this other Turian, Saren. On we go, fighting our way to the spaceport and the Beacon. However, Saren’s there first.

A cut scene shows Saren approach the Beacon and get caught in its beam. He leaves before we can arrive.

After we clear the landing area, we’re alone with the Beacon. Kaidan, curious, approaches. It tries to grab him in its beam. I knock him aside and end up caught in the beam myself. Visions of Geth and destruction are shown to me until I pass out and collapse. When I awaken, I’m back on the Normandy. Kaidan and Ashley brought me in. Doc clears me for duty. I really don’t want to tell anyone about my dreams — they sound so childish and unspecific — but we’re on our way to the Citadel to report our experience to the Council.

Meanwhile, in a cut scene, we see Saren on his ship (that threatening claw from earlier). He has an associate, The Matriarch, who discusses me, the Normandy, and my superior, Captain Anderson. That I’ve accessed the Beacon makes Saren . . .

. . . unhappy.

MANTIS, TWO

She’s an empath with the ability to calm minds. She’s also a bit of a slave, or someone too frightened to leave a powerful boss. We like her, especially after Drax calls her ugly. She isn’t, although her eyes are unsettling, and she’s so wounded by his casual honesty that we sympathize.

I jump immediately to Two. Her social concern for others, her ability to sense their feelings, is like a Heart Type superpower. I’m also led, though, by her pain. A Two in weakness will not stand up for themselves. Their gentleness can lead to them becoming victims, especially of bullies like Ego. She breaks my heart she’s so vulnerable and open. I hope Marvel gives her more than a cursory character treatment.

Mum, Burnt

Eden Prime

One of my crew, a young and enthusiastic lad, is killed immediately. As Kaidan and I continue on mission, we find another soldier, Ashley, fighting frantically to save herself. The enemy? Geth, a synthetic AI species created by the Quarians.

One of the great trash mobs in gaming, the Geth are deeply unsettling.

They rebelled, driving their makers into exile, and then disappeared behind the Perseus Veil (great name, no idea what it means) 200 years ago. Their backstory doesn’t really matter. because they’re here to impale humans on metal spikes and turn them into zombie-like husks.

YONDU UDONTA, FOUR

Tough love! We don’t completely understand until the second Guardians how much Yondu loves Peter and looks on him as a son. It’s a great roll-out. Yondu doesn’t arc, but our understanding of his character does. He is quite consistent.

He’s not gentle, though. No coddling. The whole “the crew wanted to eat you at first” bit seems slightly villainous. Only after he repeats it do we understand that this is just a gag. Yondu’s sense of humor is dry and biting. He’s not a cuddly fellow. And why should he love Peter? He has a job to deliver a human kid to a godlike being. There’s something gentle and quiet in Yondu that makes him break from the job and raise Peter himself.

Again, all of this depth is only revealed over two movies.

So, who is this lovable ravager? He’s not a Body Type. His weapon asks no physical capabilities from him beyond the ability to whistle. He’s a thinker, but he doesn’t dwell there. What he enjoys is to mess with your mind. Think of the scene in the store where he mumbles gobbledy gook at the orb-buyer to manipulate him. Yondu gets a kick out of the show. Heart Type.

Hahaha! He collects little cute action figures for his dashboard. Does that indicate he’s a Two? Hilarious! No, I think he’s a Four because of his acerbic humor. He thrives on the battle of wits. When Peter replaces the infinity stone with a troll doll, Yondu loves it. His protege tricked him, and he thinks that’s wonderful. He’s a gamesman, and personality quirks are his playfield. And no one must ever know how tender he is under that rough blue exterior.

Mum over Sunset

This was a completed piece, a screenshot of an Auridon sunset from The Elder Scrolls Online game. It was so unremarkable I never posted it here. Over time, the color faded. (I don’t use archival papers. Maybe I should reconsider!) Now it’s another repurposed piece. Pink from the sunset, barely fading through at certain points, is all that remains of the original.

MASS-ive Undertaking

I’d like to try looking at the Story Enneagram of another game, and the grandaddy awaits, Mass Effect. Can I do it? I bought myself the Legendary Edition, all three games, and I haven’t played in years, so I have a tiny feeling of freshness and a large feeling of nostalgia. The minute that menu music started playing, I teared up. This and Dragon Age were my first RPGs. Let’s try!

Backstory begins. We’re told that humans in the year 2148 discovered alien ruins on Mars that jumped our space-faring civilization forward. We now have the plans — I think? — to build a relay machine, the Mass Effect. Yet, the universe and many alien races already use this technology, so Mass Effect relays are spread about the cosmos.

My little, tiny ship flies into the glowing ball of the Mass Effect relay and shoots out across the universe like a bullet from a barrel

The Blind Bandit

Oh, what a great episode to watch after a long break! Finally, Toph. Yay!

ONE

Sokka, shopping in a city, wants to buy a bag. It’s too expensive, but he gets it anyway. On the street a salesman approaches Aang with a flier for an earth bending academy. We’re reminded that the Avatar needs a teacher.

TWO

Cut to Aang in a silly uniform, surrounded by a bunch of little kids taking class. Master Yu teaches. (It’s pretty much the kind of “quick karate” school we’d see in our own time.) Aang leaves, knowing this isn’t the training for him. Two students walking by speak about an earth bending tournament. When Aang, excited, asks them about it, they ridicule him and don’t respond.

THREE

Katara will take care of this: “Hey, strong guys, wait up,” she says with a flirting voice as she pursues them around a corner. She returns, saying, “We’re going to Earth Rumble Six.” How did she do it? We get a shot of the two boys, perpendicular to the street, encased in ice against the buildings.