Author: KA Byrnes

The Shadow Fort

Swarming with goblin and cyclops monsters, the Fort is a bastion the military wants to retake. We’re here to help!

Of the four Wyrm Hunt missions, I saved this for last as it can be tricky. Ballista fireballs rain down and vermin come from a tunnel system under the fort. At the end we face a Goblin VIP who taunts us, saying “Humans want destruction, too!”

The Salvation cult has a far reach, apparently.

I swear I’ve managed to kill him before, but he escapes underground this time. Good game. We didn’t lose the troop commander, which is actually hard to do. He’s a bit of a dolt who insists on standing in the fire.

CATWOMAN (1992-1995), FOUR

As I mentioned in my Batman study, the Catwoman from Batman: the Animated Series is a Four. It’s the interaction between the two characters, how they’re drawn to each other in spite of the potential for a toxic relationship, that defines their Enneagram numbers.

Selina Kyle reacts so vehemently to the news that her plans for a large cat refuge are in danger. Another developer has beat her to the land. In front of Bruce she has a loud meltdown. Her willingness to expose so much emotion, and Bruce’s reaction (her passion entices him), show who they are.

She’s at peace with pretty much everything about herself. Vitality, sensuality, greed, comfort (this Catwoman is wealthy) — dark and light — are all welcome traits to her. Her only surprise is when Batman puts police cuffs on her. His sense of justice outweighs his feelings, something a Four doesn’t expect.

Winter Solstice

Remember, this is the name of the two-part episode that includes The Spirit World and Avatar Roku. I assume that, although each separate episode has a Story Enneagram, that the overarching story will also follow one. Let’s see.

ONE

Spirit’s One is also this section of the One. The gang travels north until something interrupts them.

TWO

As I guessed in my Spirit review, the overarching Two is Aang’s sadness and need to talk to Avatar Roku. We already know from the Roku review that the Eight is indeed that meeting. Finding Roku — how do you talk to a spirit? — is the Trouble of the story resolved at the climax.

You’ll remember, though, that this moment in Spirit felt extremely awkward and forced.  You’ll also notice, looking back, that the beginning of that story has a lot of padding that isn’t part of the overarching plot. The Two section is sloppy in both overviews.

Continue reading “Winter Solstice”

BATMAN (1992-1995), NINE

Don’t underestimate this Batman just because he’s a cartoon. Batman: The Animated Series is arguably the best version made of the character.

The credits intro, with Shirley Walker’s powerful orchestrations and the Film Noir shading, is very binge-worthy.

When I complained that the Bale Batman had no humor, I was thinking of this series. Our Batman here is no camp comedy, like the old TV show was, but he has a subtle tongue-in-cheek humor. He’s not as stoic, either. He’s moved by more than his own sense of mission.

But is he an Eight?

He’s a tougher nut to crack because we’re looking at a series. A movie with a two hour arc must give us its Batman right away. Something that rolls out over weeks, even years, can be more coy.

This Bruce Wayne is very much an inhabitant of his city. We see him with friends and at charitable events. His Batman is more compassionate, more involved with citizens, than any other iteration.

It’s the episode with Catwoman that shows us who this Batman is. He’s a Nine. Her volatility is irresistible to him. That dynamic, the Four/Nine attraction, is the key. Of course he’s a Body Type still. This Batman, though, is more about judgment than anger. And his community interactions are also the social diplomacy of a Nine.

A Nine superhero fits more smoothly into our expectations for the genre. It makes sense that this iteration is so beloved. He has all the troubled heartbreak we expect from Batman with none of the explosive surprise an Eight brings.

Chimera!

Finding a chimera in the world is always fun when travelling with pawns who know what to do.

Cleave the poison-spewing snake tail, silence the magic-casting goat head, and kill the lion. It’s fast, satisfying work with plenty of climbing, clinging, and hacking.

When we popped by the Abbey to check on Quina, she said she’s still seeking information about our wound.

Paint It Red

When the muslin meets the wine
paint it red
When the dance card makes you mine
paint it red

O my heart isn’t here
It’s at home with a good book
where I’m safe
I swear I could stab you
if I had my netting hook
but you’re safe
It’s not here either

When the gossip oozes brine
paint it red
When the clock chimes only nine
paint it red

CHORUS

When my family starts to shine
paint it red
When the carriage’s last in line
paint it red

Don’t worry, I’m fine.

Track Three is now available at bandcamp.

Avatar Roku

(Winter Solstice, Part 2)

ONE

As we’re in Part Two, this episode immediately picks up where Part One left off, in the village with the threat of the comet deadline hanging over. Aang has decided to go into the Fire Nation alone.

TWO

Katara and Sokka say nope. They’re coming, too. Appa approves and gives Sokka a big, wet lick.

THREE

Zuko, at the village our gang just left, insists on knowing where they went.

In Part One we had parallel Enneagram structure. Part Two is only Aang’s story. This allows Zuko to influence the plot as its Three/Six.

Continue reading “Avatar Roku”

Mason and Salvation

After Elysion runs away and we kill the zombies, who should be left but Mason. He calls Salvation a “skulk of foxes”. I don’t think he’s playing a double game, but I’m not sure what his agenda is. Investigating evil? Is he the voice of the common man in a medieval world of princelings? He’s portrayed with a sinister edge, and I’m not sure what the developers had in mind with him.

Regardless, he has a captured acolyte and he expects me to deal with it.

(Me? Why me?)

The acolyte has “seen the two of us together”, which is apparently bad. The quest is murky, but basically I must decide to free this fellow or kill him. My Pawns say things like, “It’s your decision, Arisen,” and “We support you whatever you decide.”

Thanks, guys.

Meanwhile, the acolyte is trying to bribe me while saying he was just there for fun with this whole perdition thing. A LARPer, lol. I kill him.

It seems evident that Mason would’ve killed him if I didn’t, and now I’m someone who Mason can trust. I just wish the intention behind this scene had been clearer. I don’t even know what I’m risking!

DARBY O’GILL, TWO

The man who has truck with the wee folk. Don’t be puttin’ the come-hither on me, now. Who doesn’t want to watch this Disney classic and speak in fake Irish?

Darby is no con man. He genuinely can see and negotiate with the King of the Leprechauns. However, Darby is so intrigued by the fairy world that he seems like a flake. He doesn’t do much work, he’s too busy scheming for his three wishes. He procrastinates and socializes. The only time he jumps is when the priest needs someone to retrieve the church bell.

Ah, Darby is such a Two. His collection — an identifying feature of a Man Two — is leprechaun lore. His knowledge and sharing of it are what make him so beloved at the pub.

He has a kind heart but he’s no businessman. He putters, trimming the hedge here, poaching a rabbit there. Service to the Church, though, moves him. The notion that the music of the bell belongs to him makes him tear up. 

A fixture of the community, both human and fairy. Two.