FITZWILLIAM DARCY, FIVE

Mr. Darcy. Colin Firth is in the most popular version of Pride and Prejudice, but other versions are just as good. Matthew Macfadyen plays a wonderful Darcy. Don’t forget that Laurence Olivier himself played Darcy. What do these portrayals have in common?

Handsome men with snooty faces. Heh heh.

It’s been so very long since I’ve seen the Olivier version. 1940’s Hollywood was happy to truncate the story and turn it into a bedroom drama. I don’t really recommend it. However, Olivier’s Darcy is a much happier man than I would’ve expected. Eyes twinkle, if you can believe it. He’s very much an aristocrat still. Some people are naturally beneath him. However, he doesn’t have that reticent temperament that Firth and Macfadyen give Darcy. They are socially shy and, therefore, awkward.

So, what have these two actors, in their own personal ways, tapped into? Their Darcys are unique and similar. When Darcy begins to value Elizabeth, he becomes emotionally generous to her. She can do no wrong. His heart is not given immediately, though. He’s cautious and not impulsive. I think we can say quite definitively that Darcy is no Heart Type.

He’s Head, of course. A Body Type would join a country dance, regardless of social stigma. And he’s no Seven. He just isn’t fun enough for that.

We have Five, which I guessed him to be, and Six, which is what I’ve guessed Mark Darcy of Bridget Jones’ Diary to be. 

Fitzwilliam’s character gets to write his letter when Elizabeth rejects his proposal. Mark decides his heart more by consulting his gut: he just knows that Bridget is a good person. Fitzwilliam must use analysis. Even after the pain of Elizabeth’s refusal, he still won’t admit he’s harmed Jane. He can’t see the facts of such an error. Both numbers will weigh right and wrong, but a Five will reason the problem to death. His letter is an example of that process.

MARK DARCY, SIX

What a good sport Colin Firth is. Not only is he playing the same character twice, once as sincere and once as a derivation, but since his version of Pride and Prejudice is so beloved, he’s also playing a reaction to himself. How complicated! He’s a spoof played absolutely straight and with charm. Well done.

Bridget was nothing like Elizabeth. Darcy, though, besides sharing the name reflects many character traits, too. He’s aloof, successful, and a “catch”, to put it in old school terminology. At first he’s portrayed in a bad light, and then his character is revealed to be excellent.

So, if Fitzwilliam Darcy is a Five, what is Mark?

This Darcy is not judgmental. He likes Bridget “just as she is”. When Bridget’s birthday dinner falls apart, Darcy jumps in and whips up an omelette. He’s handy, and isn’t too stuffy to help. He’s a bit pushed around by Natasha, though. All of these traits are the opposite of Fitzwilliam. I’d say this Darcy is not a Five. (My goodness, I should officially look at our P&P Darcy just to make sure about this!)

He’s a Six.

The world is clearly very black and white to Mark. His legal case is righteous. Cleaver’s behavior with his wife is unforgivable.

Hahaha! I just thought of the reindeer jumper. How Six-ish to be completely unselfconscious while wearing a hideously ugly garment.

Bridget, possibly because of the paddling pool incident, is classified in Mark’s view as okay, even though she takes questionable actions. She’s been filed and catalogued, and that’s where she lives.

I don’t feel one hundred per cent sure of this call. I keep getting distracted by Firth’s real life build — decidedly un-Six. He’s plausible, though, and we’ll leave it at that.

Introducing Bitterblack

With my own Pawn now, and my Pawn Crew, I can begin pursuing quests. I make sure my Pawn is dressed with the best gear I have or can buy, upgrade her lone skill, and give her the lantern and a pickaxe. 

When we return to our village a cut scene has the hooded man again. He informs us (taunts us?) that every Arisen is drawn to the dragon. However, even among Arisen, apparently, not everyone gets an interview with the dragon. He squints his one eye at me and speaks of futility, then turns and leaves.

His character so clearly represents an antagonist that I hardly pay attention. In the cut scene I see my own toon’s reactions. Oooh, she’s so pretty! I’m happy with my build design. Yes, that’s my main concern while gaming: am I proud of my avatar.

Because we have returned to the village at night (the game has a 24 hour cycle) a woman on the docks has appeared to talk to me. This is the start for the Dark Arisen DLC. I don’t think DD sells anymore without the DLC attached, and rightfully so. It’s excellent, higher-level content. I am too wimpy to do anything but travel to the island, pick up a couple of money bags, and come back again.

I like to unlock Bitterblack Isle right away because it’s such a great travel point. Also, I like to gaze at the large double doors and dream of being skilled enough to enter the rough and tumble world of the game’s toughest beasties and highest gear rewards.

MERMAID MAN AND BARNACLE BOY

Here they are! The first episode of the superheroes has begun.

ONE

An introduction to MM and BB, showing them young and vital, explaining their powers.  It has the tone, and indeed is, the opening sequence to a TV show. Spongebob and Patrick, cosplaying, watch and cheer.

TWO

Turn to reveal Spongebob with the starfish on his nose. There is evil afoot! They fly out of the pineapple house.

Squidward suns himself in his front yard. Oh, he’s the archenemy, Reflecto. Heh heh.

THREE

Donuts worn on the fingers. They’re the magic rings that grant the superpowers. Patrick takes a bite from his.

FOUR

Spongebob and Patrick squat down and grunt, charging up some kind of attack. A jellyfish swims toward Squidward. Did they call it? Squid, blowing on it, “reflects it”. He’s become too powerful!

Back to the “sea cave” with Squid chasing.

Patrick says, “What would the real Mermaid Man do?” Outside the door, Squid says, “Why don’t you ask him yourself?” They live in the retirement home nearby.

SWITCH

Establishing shot of Shady Shoals.

FIVE

There they are, sitting on a couch watching TV. They’re in costume (that’s funny) but older. Way older. Spongebob and Patrick stan. There’s evil afoot!

MM freaks out over the word “evil”, wrestling with the furniture. The rest home attendant tosses Patrick and Spongebob from the building. Spongebob gives a speech with fireworks and an insert of a live old captain flashing a thumbs up. The superheroes must come out of retirement!

Back to the Shady Shoals. MM and BB dish up gruel in the buffet line. BB is obviously older but still cognizant. MM is in dementia. With pink fluffy slippers.

Spongebob, visiting, relates an episode of their show with Man Ray as the villain, acting out the parts. The attendant tosses him.

Spongebob in drag comes back to Shady Shoals. Oh, no, haha. Patrick in burglar gear steals the purse, trying to provoke a superhero moment. 

This episode is out there.

BB and MM start fighting, basically over how annoying Spongebob is.

SIX

BB completely loses it. He pulls out a box containing the magic rings.

Noice. Beautiful Three/Six mirror moment.

SEVEN

Say the oath! The narrator from the TV show takes over MM’s voice.

EIGHT

MM and BB with the classic attacks. Spongebob and Patrick, unintimidated, look on starry-eyed. 

Oh, so funny. “He’s absorbing it like some kind of evil sponge.”

The dog paddle! On the one hand, old people who can no longer function as they did in their prime, are silly. That’s kind of icky. On the other hand, they sound just like Spongebob and Patrick did, which is thematically layered. I’m embarrassed to laugh, but . . . it’s hilarious.

Spongebob and Patrick, having the time of their lives, are eventually tossed out of the area.

NINE

They watch TV again. It’s the NEW adventures of MM and BB. The heroes play checkers, with POW! inserts at the moves.

As you can see, this episode is very Four-light/Five-heavy. Maybe I spotted the wrong Switch, but where else would it be? The showrunners, I’m guessing, really wanted to spend time with the superheroes. They’re great! Who wouldn’t? But it’s given us a lopsided structure and an awkward episode.

Adding Pawns

We always have our own Pawn. We can also travel with two other Pawns. Rook is one already in our group, although I immediately want to ditch him.

This is another unique aspect of DD. My Pawn goes onto the server and becomes available to other real-life gamers to take out adventuring. I can enter a Riftstone and jump on the server to find other gamers’ Pawns and take them out, too.

Rook is an NPC. When I have no internet connection (and DD can be fussy at times) I always have access to a level-appropriate Pawn. I hate that, though. I prefer toons that other humans have crafted and built and dressed. So much personality can be conveyed!

Now I must confess something so nerdy it’s embarrassing.

Continue reading “Adding Pawns”

DANIEL CLEAVER, NINE

He’s the Wickham, so we know he’s charming and utterly deceitful. (I haven’t done Wickham yet! Holy cow, what am I thinking?) The casting of Hugh Grant leans in to the whole picture of a rascal who ends up being a rake. (I believe those are the proper Regency period-specific terms.)

So, what Enneagram is this version of Wickham? Cleaver is successful. He mentions that the Americans have come because the publishing house is in financial trouble, but we don’t see signs of hardship. It could just be one of his ruses, I don’t know. Unlike Wickham, Cleaver is not going to end in wrack and ruin. He’s a plain working stiff, moderately successful and fully employable.

Cleaver doesn’t really excel at anything. He’s not even a particularly great villain! He’s handsome and socially comfortable, and that’s all he needs to get through life.

Oh, gawd, he’s a Nine.

With Bridget as a Four, this makes perfect sense. The Four/Nine combo are drawn to each other, but they are more toxic than supportive.

I’ll officially delve into Wickham later, but I feel quite certain he won’t end up being a Nine.

My Pawn

When we approach the gate, the exit into the larger world, we’re stopped. A Riftstone stands in the corner of the square. A swirl of aether, and out lands a person. He holds up his palm, which has a glowing scar similar to the one on our toon’s chest. The Chief explains:

“Not human, quite. They look the part sure enough, but they lack the will . . . the spark that drives us. They have no capacity to feel nor act alone, so they live as sellswords.”

That is a Pawn of the pawn legion. This one who’s here to help us is named Rook. He’s a mage. He gives us advice (go shopping!), more like a robot would than a human. And so he and we leave the village together.

We head down a quiet lane and see a salesman, Reynard, attacked by goblins. Our first fight! If we help him he gives us a cape, another piece of armor. Also (*cough*) he’s a very useful person to rescue.

Continue reading “My Pawn”