KA Byrnes – Page 38 – Enneagram and Encaustic

Breaking the Fourth Wall

On my first watch, this is the episode that started lowering my opinion of Wandavision. Watching it again, I dislike it even more. Let’s see if its structure is partly responsible.

(Again, I don’t recognize the homage of this episode. I’m just not up-to-date on certain eras of television programs!)

ONE

Light music as Wanda sleeps in bed. She reaches over to Vision’s empty side. Now she talks to the camera while sitting in a chair and wearing a robe. It’s like an interview and/or like therapy. She’s in bed again (still) when the boys come to her and say their game is freaking out. We see them using controllers, which change to joysticks, and then to a deck of cards. Completely under the covers, Wanda says she’s resting her eyes. Back to her interview, she decides to have a day to herself.

When she pushes back the bedcovers, she reveals her Halloween costume. Noticing she’s still in yesterday’s clothes, she cringes. In the kitchen, now in her robe, she takes an almond milk from the fridge and Sugar Snaps from the cupboard. The milk changes to a carton of whole, and then to a glass bottle of milk. Eating her cereal, she stares at it.

Interviewing, Wanda says she’s not sure why things keep changing. Credits for this show begin, with “Wanda” written on everything. The music is boppy and upbeat. It ends with all the “Wanda” titles finally joined by a “Vision”.

An overlay identifies “SWORD temporary retreat eight miles outside Westview.” Director Hayward and another officer speak. The broadcast signal is gone, they say. We don’t know SWORD’s plans, but whatever it is launches today. Behind them is a very large Hex wall.

TWO

Cut to Vision, still in costume, lying on the grass. This is the last place we saw him. Waking, he is surrounded by the circus. “You the new clown?” the strong man asks. Chained to the front of a truck is Darcy. You don’t remember me from last night, Vision asks her. She breaks free (fake chains) and walks away from him, thinking him a creep trying to hit on her.

Wanda asks the kids, “Have you seen your dad?” One of the twins mentions Pietro’s comment about rekilling Vision. He’s not your uncle, replies Wanda. Throughout is a sarcastic tone with clever patter. (It’s obnoxious, actually.) I have no answers, Wanda shrugs. She settles herself on the couch and takes the remote from the boys.

THREE

In comes Agnes, who quickly assesses the mood and offers to take the boys. Wanda is very grateful. “Let’s go, I won’t bite,” Agnes says.

Mum with Rose Petals

The Enneagram of Dragon’s Dogma

The gameplay is concluded, and now I want to look back at all my posts and try to assemble an Enneagram from the plot.

Caveat One: This is a videogame, and a rudimentary story has proven sufficient for the genre. Will Dogma show itself to have more?

Caveat Two: This story never ends. For me, that’s what makes this one of the best games. A cycle of reincarnation, not just “New Game” mechanics, is so unique. The Nine will always come back to the One, spiralling in place. And yet, we also spiral upward, not restarting but building from the last run, experiencing the same story but interacting with more experience, skill, and gear.

Let’s play.

ONE

From nowhere and with no warning, a humongous dragon lands on the beach of a fishing village and destroys things. We, the untested Arisen, pick up a sword and battle something so large, we’re the size of its toe.

As we lie in the surf, knocked aside, the dragon plucks our heart from our chest. It balances on his talon, beating. Then he swallows it and flies away.

We awaken in a hut. Our chest is brutally scarred and we have no heartbeat. Quina wants to help us, but at this point none of us knows anything.

On the way out the gate we’re greeted by a Pawn, our first. He explains to us about Riftstones and helps us prove ourselves. Afterward, a voice from the Rift offers us our own Pawn and allows us to now hire two others for adventuring.

TWO

A foreign warrior, Mercedes, invites us to rest. We are awakened by an attacking hydra. After we cleave off a head, it slides away. (To where? From where? Shh.) Mercedes, impressed, arranges for us to join her on a trip to the capital city, Gran Soren. We will show the Duke this beast head.

Meanwhile, Quina has gone missing. We track her down in the Witchwood. Hoping to learn more about the dragon, she seeks the local witch there. Instead we find the granddaughter, a young woman who hasn’t been taught wyrm lore. She does mention, though, that the Church knows about such things. Quina now has a plan.

We escort the hydra head to Gran Soren. While Mercedes leaves to inform the Duke, the Pawn Guild is suggested to us. We find the room and the guildmaster, who asks us to investigate a strange occurrence in the caverns beneath the guild.

THREE

We descend into the Everfall, spiraling downward until we arrive at the bottom. There, we see an unearthly glow. When we touch the ground, snaky worms erupt and attack us. We run back up, worms emerging and chasing us.

GROOT, NINE

His relationship with Rocket indicates he’s a Nine, but let’s look at him in more detail.

Even though he’s a monosyllabic tree, he definitely fits the definition of Body Type. He’s quite competent as a superhero fighter, growing limbs and using his strength. He’s so cheerful about knocking people about with his extra-long arms.

He and Rocket are a symbiotic duo. Groot doesn’t have to be smart; Rocket is the brain. Rocket doesn’t have to be nice; Groot is the diplomat. In real life I’d want to break these two apart so each could grow the weaker side of their personality. Since they’re comic book characters, though, they are wonderful together. They literally speak a language only known to them.

Without this relationship, would I be able to identify Groot’s Enneagram? I doubt it. That they travel together is key. Their interaction is beautifully written and conceived.

Shore Leave

Although this episode is unbearably painful now, I remember it fondly. It’s actually a 1960’s scifi presentation of what we’ve come to call gaming, a virtual world designed for amusement.

ONE

The Enterprise orbits a beautiful green and blue planet.

Spock crosses the bridge to bring the camera in on Kirk in his chair. A pretty woman, probably a yeoman, stands nearby. When Kirk complains of a back kink, the woman massages it. Raising an eyebrow, Spock steps away and Kirk realizes who’s rubbing him. (Hey! Where’s our Basket Head?)

TWO

This awkward bit allows Spock to comment that everyone — except him, of course — is badly in need of rest. Kirk rubs his eyes and leaves the bridge, asking for McCoy’s report to be sent to his quarters.

Cut to a lovely woods scene. (It’s Southern California, lol, but it looks fairly green.) McCoy and Sulu, smiling, stroll next to some pampas grass. They are part of a scouting party, ready to approve this planet for shore leave. It’s like something out of Alice in Wonderland, McCoy says. Sulu wanders off to gather biological samples. When McCoy turns away, he faces a large white rabbit. It speaks its lines, checking its watch, and — hahaha! — trots away, some poor human in a fuzzy, oversized suit. And now here comes a girl in blue, chasing after it.

THREE

McCoy doubletakes and yells for Sulu. Cartoon music plays over. Seeing nothing, Sulu holds McCoy’s shoulder. “What is it, doc?” he says as the camera pushes in on Bones’ disbelieving face.

Roll credits.

Orange Blossom

This is a piece I started last spring before my summer hiatus. When I came back to it a few weeks ago, the leaves had gone white and were brittle and dry. I just broke the pieces off, really, and left the leaf bits that were still stuck.

The flowers themselves you can hardly see. They weren’t very big to begin with, but there they are. I haven’t really done anything new to them.

However, these are fresh orange leaves. I didn’t iron or press them or anything. They just sat on the table for a day so they weren’t quite as . . . juicy. I waxed them down and pressed every bit of air out of them, even cracking them or ripping them so they’d lay flat. We know that these leaves will go white over time.

I’ve doctored them, though. They have some green oil paint on the wax, and a lot of india ink, which is my new favorite thing. So, we’ll check back in a few months and see how it’s aged.

Avatar Day

If it lacked a couple of key beats, this is an episode I’d almost skip watching. It’s not bad, just . . . not thrilling.

ONE

The team, asleep, camps in the woods. When they’re surrounded, everyone grabs their important stuff except Sokka. His boomerang left behind, he’s told there’s no time to retrieve it.

TWO

He laments his lost identity. Aang has his tattoo arrow, Katara her hair loopies, and now Sokka’s just ponytail guy.

When they go to pay for something in town, they’re told, “Have a nice Avatar Day.” This cliffside earth kingdom village holds a festival. A giant Kyoshi statue, a rolling Roku statue, food . . . Aang smiles at it all. Then the villagers torch the statues and cry, “Down with the Avatar!”

THREE

The Blue Spirit, in some village, steals food. After hiding the mask in the forest, Zuko returns to Iroh in a cave. They eat, Iroh unaware of what Zuko’s done.

ROCKET, SIX

He loves practical jokes. An elaborate plan to break the team out of prison includes a request, straight-faced, for an artificial leg that has no purpose beyond being funny. What commitment!

He’s deeply insecure. Is that a trait intrinsic to his Enneagram, or is it a product of the abuse he’s suffered as a lab experiment? He’s a Head Type; an ingenious wizard in the body of a raccoon. Anybody would feel less-than under those circumstances.

Five, Six, or Seven? Well, hilariously, I immediately discount him as a Five because he’s so short. It’s not his fault! He’s a small animal!

He’s so dour he must be a Six. A Six can be very glass-half-empty, and that’s Rocket. Disaster is always around the corner for him. His love of Groot — a Nine if ever there was one — is also very Six. A Six moves to Nine in strength, and what raccoon wouldn’t dream of being a powerful tree, lol? Their partnership, I would suggest, is based in this Enneagram relationship.

Rocket is the darkest version of a Six possible, which is rooted in his lab-animal history, but we still get his cutting humor, his crafty intelligence, and his tender heart. Well done.

The Three Languages

All-New Halloween Spooktacular

Action-packed and full of reveals. I’m happy that the overall story moves forward with strength and purpose.

But I don’t care if the costumes are canon, lol. They’re hideous.

ONE

Immediately the show opens with the fake credit sequence. One of the boys is running a video camcorder. Fast edits, sped up footage.

The boy (Billy?) talks directly to the camera, bringing us up to date. He’s dressed in a costume. The brother (Tommy?) is obviously the cool one. Teasing and jokes go by, but no laugh track now.

Pietro naps on the couch, then wakes and speeds about. He’s a creepy uncle. Wanda comes downstairs in a Halloween costume that references her first comic superhero outfit (I think). Billy gives meta-commentary: “Mom’s been weird.”

TWO

Now Vision in his own superhero costume comes downstairs.. He’s on his way to help with the neighborhood watch. Wanda says, You didn’t tell me. The tension between them is uncomfortable.

THREE

Billy speaks to the camera: Mom and Dad are . . . different.