Episode Enneagrams – Page 25 – Enneagram and Encaustic

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?

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.

Madeleine and Mercedes

Daytime in the village and a peddler, Madeleine, would like us to escort her to the Encampment. She’s in a tavern-wench dress, bosom popping out the top, and has an oily, flattering manner. She seems completely untrustworthy, but a quest is a quest.

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.

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.

Beginning Dragon’s Dogma

How do I begin to talk about the videogame Dragon’s Dogma? I’ve owned this game on every platform possible. Currently I play it on the Nintendo Switch. It’s a beloved property with a unique storyline. Even though I’ve gamed through it more times than I can count, I want to share it here. I’d love to check, also, what kind of Story Enneagram it might have.

I’ve decided to start a brand new playthrough. New toon, new beginning. Rather than remember certain aspects, I need to approach the story fresh, at level one. This means I must delete an existing character. DD only has one save slot. Down the line you’ll understand why I agonized a little bit over this decision.

Start-up.

The Southern Air Temple

I didn’t remember how much of Avatar was told in parallel stories. Aang is our protagonist, but Zuko is a sub-protagonist, and his story unfurls in evocative ways, too. The Story Enneagram for this episode has double numbers because we’re experiencing two stories.

ONE

At a lakeside overnight camp, Aang wakes Sokka. He’s ready to get home today, for the first time in 100 years.

Cut to Zuko docked at a Fire Nation shipyard for repairs.

TWO

As soon as Zuko disembarks, he’s met by Commander Zhao. Now, this guy is Trouble. Zuko lies to him about how his ship sustained damage. (It was the Avatar, remember.)

Cut to the team flying toward the Air Temple. Sokka is hungry and the food storage is empty. This starts out as a typical Sokka bit — he represents us normies, surrounded and outnumbered by magic — but it is also Trouble. His hunger will set the Eight in motion.

Katara warns Aang to be prepared. The Fire Nation is ruthless. Aang shrugs off her concerns.

The Avatar Returns

I must remind myself of the first part, The Boy in the Iceberg, and that this episode is a continuation, a part two. This is to be the second half of the Story Enneagram, the arc of both parts together.

SWITCH

I assumed that the episode break would be the Switch, and that seems to be true. Katara and Aang inadvertently signaled Zuko on his Fire Nation ship, revealing the Avatar’s location. When they return to the village Gran-Gran tells Aang he must leave. Katara knew not to go on the derelict, and now Aang is banished. He walks away.

FIVE

Zuko arrives, his ship breaking through the ice wall that surrounds the village. Out he comes, down the ramp, and Sokka attacks him. It’s futile. Riding a penguin, Aang slides in to save the day. He saw the ship arrive from a distance. The villagers, especially the children, are in danger from his bending fight with Zuko, though, so Aang surrenders. The Fire Nation ship, with Aang aboard, pulls out.

So far, everything up until now feels like the momentum from “Iceberg” is finishing up. The confrontation between Aang and Zuko is what we expected. Sokka, using regular warrior skills, is basically powerless in an arena of bending. A world without the Avatar is powerless against the Fire Nation.

SIX

During the skirmish we have positive confirmation that Aang is indeed the Avatar. He says, “Looking for me?” We get the great moment when Zuko, who’s been seeking a one hundred year old man, realizes his adversary is a child.

At the Three, Aang in the iceberg is revealed. He’s got the glowing forehead arrow and the beam of light. Clearly he’s special, different. At the Six we now know why. The penguin-sledding boy is more than he seemed.

SEVEN

Aang, looking around at the vulnerable villagers, surrenders to Zuko. Zuko honors his promise, takes the Avatar on board, and leaves. “Set course for the Fire Nation.”

We don’t know enough about Zuko yet to realize what a triumphant moment this is for him. Yes, the villain has won, but we’ll learn so much more about his character and what drives him. This is a taste of Zuko’s storyline.

EIGHT

Katara and Sokka will follow after Aang in their canoe. Of course Appa comes in and becomes their transport. It’s a nice little moment. Also, it’s a call-back to the Two when their canoe crashed. Good continuity.

The rest of the episode is a bang-up battle with Aang on the ship. “I’m guessing you’ve never fought an air-bender before.” And we’ve never seen an air-bender fight. It’s amazing! Fire — punching fireballs at someone or throwing an arc of flame on a roundhouse kick — makes sense. It’s just a continuation of regular martial arts technique. Air bending, though, is more magical. It’s based in aikido — using your opponent’s strength against them — but wind is used in creative, unexpected ways. It’s a great scene, a great Eight. I won’t spoil it with jaw-jaw.

Zuko doesn’t quit, though. A key character trait of his, his indomitable will even when he’s losing, leads him to inadvertently knock Aang into the ocean. Aang, sinking, starts to glow. In later episodes we’ll learn that he’s entered the Avatar state. Right now, though, he just goes to another level of power. He water bends a whirlpool that lifts him from the ocean. As an air bender he’s been winning the fight. As the Avatar, he’s a destructive force who can’t be stopped.

He’s quickly exhausted, though, depleted. Katara and Sokka help him onto Appa, and they all escape. Zuko’s ship, bow crushed under an ice block, is left behind. “I won’t underestimate him again,” he says. Beautiful climax, beautiful resolution. Very satisfying.

NINE

Now we have our team, flying through the sky. They’ll head to the Northern Tribe where Aang and Katara can study water bending together from a master.

First, though, some fun stops along the way are planned. Aang is a reluctant Avatar. His psychological journey to accept his destiny is already clearly a main arc. A lot of questions started in this first double episode, a lot of excitement and delivery. You’re totally hooked.