fairy skeletons.: INFJ: An Exploration

So those of you who have at least looked around the Internet have probably heard of Meyers-Briggs personality types. For those of you needing a refresher or overview, they're basically sixteen different psychological types that people can be categorized into, and they depend on four different factors (descriptions from the Meyers & Briggs Foundation website):

• Favorite world: Do you prefer to focus on the outer world or on your own inner world? This is called Extraversion (E) or Introversion (I).
• Information: Do you prefer to focus on the basic information you take in or do you prefer to interpret and add meaning? This is called Sensing (S) or Intuition (N).
• Decisions: When making decisions, do you prefer to first look at logic and consistency or first look at the people and special circumstances? This is called Thinking (T) or Feeling (F).
• Structure: In dealing with the outside world, do you prefer to get things decided or do you prefer to stay open to new information and options? This is called Judging (J) or Perceiving (P).

Identifying by a Meyers-Briggs type is wildly popular around the Internet. I took a test, being the bandwagoner that I am, and came up with the result of INFJ.

INFJs are private, preferring one-on-one friendships to crowds, and often quiet about their own feelings. They are often thoughtful, artistic, and wise, and prefer to operate behind the scenes. They are great listeners, and have a strong desire to help others realize their true potential.

I don't think I've ever identified so strongly with the results of a personality test. Everything in here describes me perfectly, and to be honest, it's almost disconcerting. There's also an interesting page on TV Tropes that lists fictional characters with certain Meyers-Briggs types.

Ooh, a chance to compare myself to fictional characters? Count me in. This is the scatter-brained, GIF-filled result of that little personality exploration - enjoy!

(Props to Cait and Morning for doing Meyers-Briggs posts first; this post would never have existed if not for the idea. Check their posts/blogs out and give them some much-deserved love!)

Yue and Roku from Avatar: The Last Airbender

I LOVED YUE. She was so magical and ethereal and kind. Gah, she killed me. But her kindness, I think, is the main difference between us - Yue is way nicer than I could ever be.

We don't really get a lot about Roku, huh? But from what I could tell he seemed super cool, so I'll just slide with this and pretend I am this powerful.

Nicolette "Nicky" Parsons from the Bourne series

Huh. I don't really know how to feel about this. Nicky Parsons isn't really a hugely developed character in the Bourne series (and I should know, since my family basically binge-watched all three movies in two or three days), but she doesn't seem bad in any way, either. She's somewhat unknowable, and I can't really see any similarities between her personality and mine.

The Ghost of Christmas Past from A Christmas Carol

I see no personality resemblance whatsoever, despite the fact that I did enjoy this book. This one rather confuses me.

The eponymous Cinderella

Nope. There's just no way anyone could force me to wear something that sparkly. (I also have... problems with Disney's adaptation of this fairy tale, but that's a subject for another day.)

Bruce Wayne from The Dark Knight

I'm not sure what similarities I could have to a billionaire who dresses up like a heavily armed bat in his spare time, but I'll take it, if only because Christian Bale is cool and I really, really like his car and his butler. 

John and Anna Bates from Downton Abbey

I used to watch Downton Abbey and honestly, Anna was one of my favorites. She's so dedicated and loving and fierce. I wish I could say I was like her. Also, she and Bates are adorable, so I'm good with this. I'd say this comparison actually kind of works.

Jay Gatsby from The Great Gatsby

I don't see any resemblance at all, but I kind of wish there was. Gatsby may not have the most positive or healthy personality, but he is fascinating. Absolutely freaking fascinating. I wonder if this gives me an excuse to call everyone 'old sport'. (This page seems to have a tendency to liken my personality with that of extremely rich, charming guys with nice cars. Bruce Wayne? Gatsby? Really?)

Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy

Groot actually shares a lot of traits with me. We like to support the group, we're either way too soft-hearted or way too violent (there's no in-between), and we repeat ourselves a lot. Also, let's face it - if you don't love Groot, you're lying because reasons.

Judge Claude Frollo from The Hunchback of Notre Dame

CAN WE JUST NOT. PLEASE NO. I may have only seen the movie, sure, but I still know that Frollo is completely terrifying and not at all like me. I certainly don't ever obsessively hunt people down or make that face. (Actually, I lied on that last bit. This is probably a good approximation of my disturbed-while-writing face.)

Kuroko Tetsuya from Kuroko no Basuke

YES. Kuroko is me, although admittedly a lot better at basketball. He blends in easily, is often forgotten by people, fights for his friends, and is dedicated to what he wants to achieve. He also has accidental comedic moments. This works really well. I love this comparison.

Sara Crewe from A Little Princess

'Whatever comes,' she said, 'cannot alter one thing. If I am a princess in rags and tatters, I can be a princess inside. It would be easy to be a princess if I were dressed in cloth of gold, but it is a great deal more of a triumph to be one all the time when no one knows it.'

I am not nearly this angelic. But I really liked Sara, and A Little Princess was one of the first classics I ever read and enjoyed. Sara's personality is more like the one I wish I had.

Saruman from The Lord of the Rings

Nope. Not seeing the similarity here at all. (Anyone who dares oppose Gandalf is obviously my enemy.) I'm nowhere near as acerbic or narrow-minded as Saruman is, and I'd never be so foolish as to let myself die by getting stabbed. Interesting food for thought, though.

Phil Coulson from the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Unlike 99.9% of the Internet, I'm not really a Marvel fan, so I remember basically nothing about Coulson. (Oops.) But hey, I recognized his face. Plus, he seems pretty smooth.

Merlin from Merlin

Okay, okay. I admit I kind of saw this coming. (I watched this show originally purely to make fun of it - because as a retelling of Arthurian legend, it's absolutely terrible. But it stood pretty decently as a show itself, and I ended up liking a lot more than I thought.) Merlin is awkward and funny at the wrong moments in much the same way that I am. But he's also stubbornly loyal in a really unassuming way, which I consider one of his strongest traits and one of mine as well.

Jean Valjean from Les Misérables

(I feel that Boromir does a better job of summing up my thoughts of Valjean than an actual Valjean GIF would. So, Boromir, thanks for lending me your trademark pose.) Anyway - I don't think I have any of Valjean's patience or forgiving nature (although I am only going off the 2012 film version, which I've heard isn't the best), but there are some things we share. I think. I hope.

Fujimoto from Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea

(Yay, a Ghibli character!) Well, I don't see much of my personality in him, but if I said I don't want his thick red flowy hair, I'd probably be lying.

Obi-Wan Kenobi from Star Wars

I do have to say that out of all the Star Wars characters, I identified with Obi-Wan most strongly. He's very reasonable and wise and cool. (Too cool. Cool enough to call things "uncivilized" with this kind of flair and be played by Ewan McGregor, one of my favorite actors.)

And that's a wrap! What about you? Have you taken the test? Do you think these fictional characters are actually like me? Which fictional characters are you most like?