The Pawn Guild

The guild building is the “gate to the Everfall”. This means nothing to us right now, but — spoiler — whoo, boy. Head Pawn Barnaby tells us it’s “a place of great importance to our kind”. For me, it’s just the next destination in the quest line-up.

When we agree to help Barnaby he takes us down the stairs to a gated doorway. Pawns are “keepers to the entrance”. Since the dragon’s coming the Everfall has a strange aura, a presence that should be investigated. That’s where we come in!

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PICKLES

Establishing shot of the Krusty Krab. Inside, Squidward reads a rehearsed greeting and prepares to take the customer fish’s order. The fish’s indecision annoys Squid. (Of course it does lol!)

TWO

The Krabby Patty order is finally passed back to the kitchen where Spongebob waits. 

THREE

We see a medium shot of Spongebob building the “Crying Johnny” (with extra onions). Each ingredient and layer is shown like a tutorial.

FOUR

Cooked, the order is passed back through the window for Squidward to deliver. And the line stretches on . . . We definitely get the sense of a busy day in the fast food business.

A large fish approaches the register. His order is complex, loaded with the kind of slang Spongebob has been using. Squidward, naturally, is annoyed.

Spongebob has it cooked already and ready to serve. Then he recognizes the orderer: Bubblebass. They square-off while Western movie music plays over. Spongebob has a reputation for cooking, Bubble for picky eating.

He takes his burger and sits, all of the restaurant gathered to watch. He sniffs, he weighs, he squeezes, he shuffles the burger like a deck of cards. He bites. He chews. (Ew, dude.)

How is it? Pretty good, but . . .

Dunh-dunh. You forgot the pickles!! The crowd gasps.

The best there is? You lose. Giggle, snicker.

Wow, is this fish repugnant lol. 

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Gran Soren

We escort Mercedes and the verrrry slow wagon carrying the hydra head to the capital city of Gran Soren. Kill or dodge a few wolves, some harpies, goblins here and there, even falling rocks. I’ve learned all the tricks for keeping the ox alive. Mercedes’ mission opens up access to the larger world and the city. This is the hub of everything, and the furthering of the story.

My Pawn, Ada, wears the fabulous yellow diaper pants as we approach Gran Soren.

She immediately abandons us, though, as if she’ll take credit with the Duke for the hydra kill. That touch of passive-aggressive envy we sensed earlier in her character comes out again here.

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LYDIA BENNET, EIGHT

Is she an Eight? That’s what immediately pops in my head.

She’s so outspoken. Social embarrassment and decorum are not part of her character. In Austen’s world this makes Lydia clownish and prone to ruin. In our world she might be hailed as a confident woman, even an iconoclast. I can see an Eight fitting into either description, depending on the context.

Obviously she’s physical. She loves to dance. Austen presents this as part of Lydia’s boychasing, shallow temperament, but what if she’s just a Body Type who enjoys movement? I can imagine that an Eight, especially the baby of the family who’s been spoiled, would have a hard time meshing with the strictures of Austen’s Regency society.

Lydia’s the hero of her own story. To her delight she moves into society at a young age, finds many dances and beaux, travels away from home with a dear friend, and meets her future husband after much adventure. It’s very Eight-ish to be oblivious to the worries of rules-oriented people (such as her sister Elizabeth, the Six).

She loves her dear Wickham. He’s charming, witty, and handsome. For someone as cognizant of social rules as Wickham, though, Lydia must be a painful companion. Her vivacity will only go so far. When Austen linked them together, I believe she was punishing Wickham in devious ways. He grew up on Pemberley, associating with lordly people. For him, to be forever tied to Lydia — whose freshness would not be welcome in that era — is a come-down.

GEORGE WICKHAM, FOUR

His moment in the spotlight is the one part of Pride and Prejudice that I hardly want to read or watch anymore. The sparkle of his character rubbed off long ago.

Regardless, to judge his Enneagram number I must think back to when his ruse was tolerable to me. His charm, his ability to redirect, is an important aspect of his character. His ability to see weakness is the key. Elizabeth wants to hear a story that impugns Darcy, and Wickham delivers it to her. She wants to believe that Darcy is a villain, and Wickham is ready to serve it up.

On a side note, isn’t it interesting that Wickham is never played by an above-the-line actor? In Bridget Jones’ Diary he completely is. Hugh Grant, A-lister. I barely remember the Wickham of the other versions. Productions cut corners on the Wickham salary. It’s annoying, actually, and partly why I’m uninterested to delve into his Enneagram.

In the book, Wickham’s problem is that he makes Lizzy look a fool. She’s our heroine; we don’t want to see her fall. Her pride (or is it prejudice?) allows her to trust a con artist.

A con artist. As a last resort he becomes a soldier. He has no other prospects for a profession. He thought he might be a lawyer or clergyman, and blew away his path to those careers. He’s not physical and he’s not erudite. He’s a Heart Type.

He’s a Four.

He can’t be a Three, he’s too much of a failure. And he can’t be a Two. He’s too nasty for it.

He can charm the socks off of everyone. Four. It’s all about what he wants and why he’s not getting it. Four. And it’s all about tomorrow. Put off the failures and problems of today, and they’ll probably resolve themselves on a new day. (And they do, mostly.)

The Witchwood

Watchtowers at the Encampment were destroyed by the hydra. People are still here wandering around — Reynard and Madeleine, too — but this is now a location that’s served its purpose. We leave.

Immediately outside the gate a villager stops us. “Is Quina not with you?” She went off to look for a cure for our wounds, and now she’s missing. All the Pawns tell me I should ask at the village, so down the lane we go.

The Chief, back home, tells us his daughter is gone to the Witchwood. She’s all alone in an eerie place. Can we find her?

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The Warriors of Kyoshi

This is one of those episodes we always remember. The introduction of the Kyoshi Warriors is a beloved moment.

ONE

We start with Zuko on his ship. Hilariously, he — the angriest person in the show — meditates peacefully at a candle-lit altar. We know it won’t last long. Uncle Iroh pops in, disturbing Zuko, to tell him the Avatar is nowhere to be found.  Zuko reacts and fire erupts from the altar. Multiple sightings have been reported, but nothing certain. Zuko says the Avatar is a master of evasive maneuvers.

TWO

Jump cut, and you know exactly where this is going. It’s funny! Team Avatar looks at a map and their crisscross journey. They have no idea where they’re going. It’s the punchline to the One, but it’s also the Trouble. Their haphazard travels, purposeless beyond meeting Aang’s bucket list, are not something the Avatar can safely do. He needs to focus on his mission. This Two (and its Eight) help clarify that tension.

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