Enneagram and Encaustic – Page 2 – Screenwriting, Lyrics, Art, and Investigation

ANTHONY AND KATE, ONE AND FOUR

Of the three Bridgerton seasons, this was my favorite. Our romantic leads are interesting people played sympathetically by beautiful actors wearing gorgeous clothes.

Anthony is this season’s Bridgerton protagonist. The eldest son, he’s a Viscount who has been competently running the family estate since his father’s early death. The pressure and weight of his position, laid on his shoulders when he was a teen, are his main conflict. He must marry and produce an heir, regardless of love. When the Queen favors Edwina, Anthony decides that she’s the one.

Edwina’s older sister and staunch defender Kate decides Anthony is not the one. Their antagonism is Kate’s conflict. (They are obviously destined to be the love interest, which is classic romance novel stuff.) Kate will do anything for her sister’s happiness, even deny her own feelings.

So who are these two and what are their Character Enneagrams?

The easy answer for Anthony is a One. His financial acumen in managing the family property is a clue. He rides his horse daily and seems rejuvenated by physical exercise, as a Body Type would. And he’s a terrible stickler for rules and order. He knows in his heart that he loves Kate, yet he proposes to Edwina anyway because she is the woman who meets his criteria for a wife.

The tricky character is Kate. She also loves horseback riding, but it’s more of an emotional outlet than a physical one. She also denies her feelings so that Edwina can marry her choice of Anthony. In many ways she’s a good match for Anthony because they share similar traits. However, her impulses come from a different place. Her love for her sister is central to her character. When Edwina learns that Kate has been lying to her and distances herself, Kate is devastated by her sister’s cold shoulder. Proper and ladylike on the outside, Kate is volatile on the inside. I want to say she’s a Four. Because Ones and Fours are strength/weakness numbers to each other, it feels like a good guess. I like Kate as a Four; her highs and lows are mostly contained inside, only bursting out occasionally. It makes her an appealing character for a Regency story. She’s the anti-Marianne of Sense and Sensibility, someone who keeps from wearing her passions on her sleeve. Mostly.

DAPHNE AND SIMON, THREE AND NULL

As an Austen stalwart, I was reluctant to watch the playful take on the Regency era that is Bridgerton, but I was persuaded to try it and I enjoyed myself. Since the show focuses on a particular romantic couple each season, I’ll begin with the Duke and Duchess of Hastings.

Daphne is the Bridgerton we follow in Season One. (Think of the Bridgertons as a homeschool family, lol. They’re a quirky bunch.) The eldest daughter, Daphne enters society and the marriage market with the Queen’s favor. Meanwhile Simon is a recent and reluctant Duke. These two, through twists and turns, end up married.

The plots for Bridgerton are heavy on the romance novel tropes. (This season includes an episode that is almost entirely sex scenes, although they do have relevance to character development.) Simon has sworn an oath to his odious father on his deathbed that he won’t procreate and further the line. Daphne, an innocent, eventually understands that Simon is pulling out before orgasm so that he won’t get her pregnant. This is the main conflict.

So what do we have for Character Enneagrams?

Like Elinor in Sense and Sensibility, Simon has made a promise with details he won’t share or break, even to those he loves. Elinor can’t reveal Lucy Steele’s secret and painful engagement to her beloved Edward because she swore to tell no one. Not even Marianne can know. In that vein, Simon won’t tell his wife that, although he is physically capable of fathering children, he is morally restricted by his oath. (It’s a tough sell for a modern audience. For us, his resolve borders on stubbornness.)

In Austen world, someone who keeps an oath is honorable and heroic. It’s an ideal that not everyone can achieve. Let’s decide that, for Simon, the rules are the same. This is a man of impeccable character. And he loves Daphne.

Holy cow. He might be a Null. Everything about him is trope. I can’t even remember what finally persuades him to change his mind and agree to become a father! He’s beautifully acted, but his character is void of specific traits. He isn’t particularly Body, Heart, or Head Type. Simon is a generic, handsome romantic lead with nothing to distinguish him as an individual. He doesn’t appear in any future seasons, which is probably a contract issue with the actor, but it also sends up red flags. They didn’t know how to write him once his plot conflict was finished.

As for Daphne, she’s probably a Three. Beautiful, confident, successful in the realm of Regency dating, Daphne is the Bridgerton who shines. She takes charge of her own future by entering into a pact with Simon to fool society. There’s just no way that Daphne will fail. The plot deals her with setbacks, but Daphne has an indomitable quality. She ends up happily married, pregnant with an acknowledged heir, and a wise advisor to her family in future episodes.

The first season is so heavily locked into romance novel expectations it narrows the Enneagram choices. Future seasons do a better job of expanding the characters.

The Drill

Although this is a stand alone episode of the animated Avatar: The Last Airbender, it’s also a continuation — a second part — of the last episode. I’ll look at the Story Enneagrams of both. Let’s start easy, though, with the episode in front of us.

ONE

Fire Nation tanks and the immense drill, looking like a Dune sand worm, drive across the cracked plain toward the wall of Ba Sing Se. Hissing, the drill expands with a steam mechanism.

TWO

In an overlook tower on the drill are Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee. The War Minister in charge of the drill is unimpressed that earth benders prepare to attack, but Azula sends her gang out to take care of them.

THREE

In a small canyon, Sokka, Katara, Toph, and the refugees approach the wall. Aang and Momo fly up to meet them. He and Toph earth bend a rock platform with everyone on it up the side of the wall. When they get to the top, the gang gets a good view of the drill.

The Serpent’s Pass

Wow. It’s been almost two years since my previous Avatar: The Last Airbender post. I definitely intend to finish this second season no matter how long it takes, lol.

Since my last look, the live action version of Airbender has dropped. Of course I watched it immediately. Some day I may write an Enneagram Story Breakdown for the season. I would love to compare the two versions, including Character Enneagrams. What changed from animation to live action? And — spoiler — what was lost in the reboot that kept it from being as enjoyable?

For now, though, the guilty weight of the unfinished animation review takes precedence. Let’s go! The next two episodes run together under the title: “The Secret of the Fire Nation”. Will they each have an Enneagram, or are they one complete story?

ONE

The gang — Aang, Sokka, Toph, and Katara — rest and swim at a pool formed at the base of a waterfall. They seem congenial. Sokka looks at the map he stole from the Owl’s library that shows the location of Ba Sing Se. The only path through a series of lakes is “The Serpent’s Pass”, a thin bridge of land.

Sokka mentions that, without Appa’s flying, this is their only option. Katara shushes him, but Aang calmly says he’s okay. He just wants to get to Ba Sing Se and tell the king about the solar eclipse.

TWO

As they prepare to pack up, three “fellow refugees”, including a pregnant woman, greet them.

Death of a Tap

On the right is the new tap pull I made for our Still Water dispenser. On the left photo, it’s installed next to the Bubbly Water tap pull, as seen from the backside. That was its proud situation seven months ago.

This is its situation today:

The valve became a little sticky (not my fault!) and the smaller encaustic pull couldn’t withstand the torque.

I will say I’m not sorry to see it go. The vertical lettering was surprisingly difficult to get right, leading to many do-overs. Although I applied shellac to the encaustic, this tap didn’t get the epoxy treatment that the other tap got. I don’t feel particularly inspired to create another one. Those of you who drink still water (not me!) will just have to use a boring, plain stick as a tap.

Dragon’s Dogma 2

Since I shared my great love of the first game in this series, I thought I’d write a few words about the sequel, which released a few months ago.

My sorcerer pawn and my toon, a Beastren (a cat person).

At level 86 on my second build (level 56 on my first) I can say I played a lot. It’s a fine game. The fight mechanics are good.

Lol, it’s obvious I’m disappointed. The story, which again centers on reincarnation, is not as complete or logical as the first game’s. The end game, the Unmoored World, is overly complicated and unsatisfying. Who thought a pus-dripping dragon fight was a good idea?? I’ve seen reviews that extol the variation available; that wasn’t my experience. The game became repetitive and the replay value dropped for me.

Perhaps, like DD1’s Dark Arisen, a DLC will release that takes the game to a whole new level.

It’s no surprise that playing DD2 only led me back to replaying DD1. The battles are more varied. The outfit options are more flattering. (Don’t underestimate the value of a cute avatar.) And the bread and butter — climbing on monsters and whaling on them — is more consistently designed.

This post is here to relive the glory of a fabulous gaming experience and to promote my Enneagram breakdown of it.

Also, my old lady witch pawn is totally cool.

Fish earrings

A few months ago I made a YouTube about my process of laying watercolor over this stamped fish image on a wooden disk. I now present the finished product. Thanks to Elizabeth for preparing the substrate, finishing the hardware, and modeling the earrings.

Fallout Enneagram: NORM MACLEAN, SIX

Four main characters in Season One of Fallout have their own separate Story Enneagrams. In this case, Norm’s Enneagram is also the story of Vault 33.

ONE

Establishing the vault world is Norm’s One. He’s introduced as Lucy’s brother with no indication he’ll have any importance. Hank seems more critical, especially when he greets “Overseer” Moldaver. (Why doesn’t he recognize her from pre-apocalypse times? After watching the entire season we know that she was alive then, even if we don’t know how she managed it. She clearly says that she knows Hank.)

TWO

Norm wanders through the opened door into Vault 32. Moldaver and her raiders have already seemed suspicious. Now we know that the vault is derelict. Norm finds mutilated corpses and comes running home. The mystery of the Vault 31-32-33 triangle is the overall Trouble, but Norm is on his own detective’s journey that starts here.

Fallout Enneagram: MAXIMUS, TWO

Four main characters in Season One of Fallout have their own separate Story Enneagrams. We don’t meet Maximus until halfway through Episode One when he’s thrust upon us. It’s not a heroic introduction.

ONE

Fellow companions of the Brotherhood haze Maximus. In class he fails tests and looks like a dunce.

Fallout Enneagram: LUCY MACLEAN, ONE

Four main characters in Season One of Fallout have their own separate Story Enneagrams. Lucy is the first post-apocalypse character we meet in the series.

ONE

Lucy is selected to breed. Let’s not sugarcoat her opening situation. Although she’s cheerful and spunky, she, like every other person of a certain age in the Vault 31-32-33 triangle, is forced to marry a stranger. The show encourages us to gloss over those details.

TWO

Continuing Episode One, Moldaver kidnaps Hank. Not until the final episode do we learn why. This is such very clear Trouble for Lucy. Even her violent raider husband wouldn’t prompt her to leave the vault. It’s only her beloved father who jump-starts her journey. Also, Moldaver tells her, “You look like your mother.” This is another mystery unsolved until the finale. Although it hides in the background, this comment is part of the Trouble.

THREE

Lucy exits the vault. The opening of the door to Vault 33 is the Three. Interestingly, it’s also Norm’s Three (which we’ll see in a later post). The Sixes for each character are very different. I really like that their stories lead them in different directions after they share this beat.