Enneagram – Page 39 – Enneagram and Encaustic

Farewell, Valmiro

He wants to forgo the fishing life to travel the land and study its wonders. This from the fellow who makes it ten feet past the village gate and faints.

We have to provide him with a bunch of difficult to find things: Sour Ambrosial Meat, which apparently is the byproduct of a dangerous ape monster, and a Pilgrim’s Charm for luck, which I buy off of Fournival! Good thing I saved him from a guilty verdict.

Valmiro has so many crates to go in his boat he needs us to help him load.

Do you see Valmiro carrying a crate? No, you don’t.

And then we have an evening drink on the beach by a bonfire. He seems to be comparing his wanderlust with my fate after a giant dragon ripped my heart from my chest and ate it.

At sunrise he’s off. We get some rare items, like a hydra’s gallstone, to remember him by. It’s possible we’ll see him again, but only if the game decides we love him best. We have a lot of contenders for that position.

MUSCLEBOB BUFFPANTS

ONE

The credits have marching band music running over, then we bubble-wipe to the pineapple house. No peaceful ukeleles for this episode.

TWO

Inside, Spongebob flexes his muscles in front of the mirror. Well, haha, if he had muscles. “It’s time to grow large and wide.” Why? Because that’s the Trouble, that’s why.

Two stuffed animals are impaled on each end of the lifting bar. He strains to lift it over his head, eventually falling sideways from the weight.

Doorbell. “Yay, it’s Sandy!” I actually said that aloud while watching.

THREE

Oh, wow, he shows her his state of the art weight set! My heart. It’s all adorable stuffed animals.

Chasing Salomet

Okay, we’ve got more info about the sorcerer Salomet. Is any of this relevant?

The duke held a council of magick scholars, tasked with ensorceling grimoires and trinkets. Salomet was the head. He fled with the findings of the research. Ooh, and killed everyone else! Now he’s stolen this ring, which must make it important.

We are to track him down and retrieve the ring. This is another must-do quest.

When we find him hiding out at the quarry we battle him and his men. He can’t be killed because he must run away so that we can beat him up again later. Such is gaming life.

KHAL DROGO (BOOK), EIGHT

He’s even less defined here than in the show. He’s powerful, he’s barbaric, and he has affection for Dany. He’s learning the Common Tongue. In a way he’s like Baratheon: we’re all waiting for him to die so that the true leader can come forth. He doesn’t seem vulnerable as Robert does, but he also has less character development. You don’t give so little time to someone who has meaning to the story.

However, we explicitly get the detail multiple times that his long hair has never been cut because he has never known defeat in battle. A naturally gifted warrior is probably an Eight or Nine.

Drogo also gives the speech about conquering the Iron Throne after the poison attempt on Dany. The written words have none of the energy Momoa brings, with his fusion of character and Maori Haka. It’s one of the few times the show is better than the book.

Unlike the TV series, where Drogo is wounded in an argument, here he is cut in battle. He has sent the healers to help the other injured men, as a good leader would. Dany intervenes when she sees his pain and calls the healers back. Instead, though, Mirri the Maegi offers her services. Whatever is in her poultice, he rips it off after six days. It itched and burned. Is that good? Now he has a soothing mud plaster and poppy wine that he drinks heavily. Flies are following him.

After he falls from his horse, Mirri is called. It seems that the poultice was true. Why would someone so very strong, someone who must have been injured before, shy from healing? Ah, because it was delivered by someone he didn’t trust. Eight. His paranoia and aversion to mysterious healing is the tell. Eights, the strongest of the strong, are vulnerable when it comes to understanding sickness.

KHAL DROGO (TV), NULL

He’s a product of his culture. When Dany teaches him to make love differently, he’s fine with that. He’d just never done it that way before.

Mostly Drogo is a placeholder: husband, warlord, savage. When Dany is threatened by the wine merchant’s assasination attempt, though, he comes through with a career-making (for Momoa) moment. This scene where he proclaims he’ll fight for the Iron Throne is astonishing and powerful. Don’t cross Drogo. Something he cared little about will now drive him completely. Family, tribe, love. This is his hierarchy, his core. Threaten them and you’ve called forth the fire.

And then he’s dead. Whatever hint of character we got is now over. He’s big, he’s a leader, and he’s decisive. The Enneagram options are numerous, and we have no more information to glean. I could assign a number to him on the assumption that he’s drawn from choices made in the novel, but I don’t like that. The show must stand on its own feet.

Killed It — Oops

One of the scheduled, must-do quests is to help the castle guard fight a griffin. It’s the only guaranteed griffin battle in the game.

We accidentally killed it right away. I mean, that’s awesome usually! OP fight. But I’m trying to pursue all of the story. By ending the griffin I cut the quest short. An entire corner of the map is avoided, a marvelous, cinematic griffin battle is missed, and another portcrystal is temporarily unavailable. And that dude we helped retrieve the grimoire, he comes in with his book and fights with you. It’s really useful to have another combatant at the top of the tower.

I thought about trying to reload and redo, but the save system is too auto-generated. Besides, I killed it on one go! Yay!

F.U.N.

ONE

Lunchtime at the Krusty Krab.

TWO

The French narrator explains how nice it is. Suddenly the lighting goes red and all the fish panic. Krabs at the cash register calls up to Squidward who’s in a crow’s nest (lol — wut?) with a spyglass.

Ah, it’s a Plankton episode! He’s stealing a Krabby Patty. With a laser he cuts a tiny hole in the wall and escapes outside. Little robot arms from a backpack carry the patty as Plankton says, “I win!”

THREE

The KK crew stands around. He got away. But, no. Spongebob rips off his skin to reveal another Spongebob skin. He’s a superhero to the rescue. Through town he chases the rogue patty.

Ambush

I’ve been warned by the guard at the gate that suspicious people are asking about the Arisen. As we travel the roads at night we’re attacked.

My end was, indeed, not quick. His was, though.

A person named Raven, and others named Rouge and Noir, ambush us. Why? It’s never quite been clear to me, but I think they’re associates of Salomet.

Cool names, though.

SAMWELL TARLY, TWO

What sort of man proclaims himself a coward?

As a child Sam loved books, kittens, dancing, and cakes. His father hired men to make a knight of him, which failed. Eventually it’s take The Black or die. As eldest Sam is the heir. The only way the younger son, the preferred son, can ascend is if Sam is gone. How many sons over the years have been forced to join the Night’s Watch as a way to manipulate the inheritance?

His backstory is very pitiable. He’s an ugly duckling at the Night’s Watch. He’s so loyal he’ll take his vow before the Old Gods with Jon. And he’s quite wise. When Jon freaks out over being assigned to the stewards rather than the rangers it’s Sam who brings the facts. Jon is dense and Sam gives him a depth and breadth to his understanding. A true counsellor.

Both versions of Sam, Book and TV, are the same Enneagram. Hilariously, it’s the kittens and cakes that define him. He’s a Two and these are his childhood collections. It’s not his lack of physical mastery that is the key to understanding him, it’s his kindness. Another clue is his size. Twos more than any other number can be large. Their gentleness makes them vulnerable to abuse, as we see with Sam, and in defense they disappear into their bodies.

A Two is a great choice for a man of The Watch who must study and pursue book-learning. We all love Sam, right? The dichotomy of someone who collects — potions, crows, information — while finding his calling at a battle station is just lovely.

CULTURE SHOCK

ONE

The Krusty Krab. Business is at a lull. Spongebob and Mr. Krabs wait.

TWO

Squidward reads something called “Dance Now”, looking at pictures of human ballet dancers. A cutout of his head replaces the man’s head and Squid sighs.

THREE

A dust mote falls to the reflective table surface. Spongebob attacks it with cleaner. His obsession with tidiness is a perfect, defined beat.