characters

Ludo Bagman: ESTP

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Guest Post by Andrew, ENTJ

Harry Potter, J. K. Rowling

Dominant Extroverted Sensing (Se): Bagman used to be a big Quidditch star, owing to his thrill-seeking nature. He played a position (Beater) that requires balance as well as arm strength. Even after leaving the world of professional Quidditch, Bagman still prefers to live life on the edge. He does this mainly by betting; he is a compulsive gambler, especially about Quidditch matches and other sporting events, and he borrows large sums of money in order to cover his gambling debts. Bagman is the announcer at both the Quidditch World Cup and the Triwizard Tournament, owing to two things: his eye for details and his liking for attention.

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Lucius Malfoy: ISTJ

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Guest Post by Andrew, ENTJ

Harry Potter, J. K. Rowling

Dominant Introverted Sensing (Si): Lucius regards heritage as being all-important. He thinks of wizards and witches from old magical families as the most valuable people, while disdaining “mudbloods,” or witches and wizards from muggle families. Moreover, he maintains that some wizarding families (like his own) are better than others (like the financially strapped Weasleys). Lucius has nothing but a dismissive contempt toward the lowest of the low in wizarding society, such as house elves, which has cost him dearly on occasion; in particular, his careless attitude toward his own elf, Dobby, has blinded him to his servant’s frequent attempts to aid Harry and to pass forbidden information to his political enemies. However, in contrast to his lackadaisical attitude toward the underlings of his world, Lucius has a keen sense of the rules of the game in any situation, which has allowed him to get away with a great deal, all while becoming well-connected at the Ministry of Magic.

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Skeeter Phelan: INFP

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Guest Post by Emily, INFP

The Help, Kathryn Stockett

Dominant Introverted Feeling (Fi): Skeeter is one of the only people bothered by how the maids are treated. When Mrs. Stein asks her to write a list of things that bother her but don’t seem to bother anyone else, it ends up being a long list. When interviewing Aibileen, she tells her that she is tired of the rules. When she was a kid, visiting Constantine, her mom told her to be nice to Constantine’s neighbours, but Skeeter didn’t know why she wouldn’t be nice to them. When Hilly tells her to write the health initiative for the newsletter, Skeeter eventually tells her she won’t write it. She also paid Pascagoula’s brothers to put the toilets in Hilly’s yard. She has almost no interest in dating and broke up with Stuart after their first date because he said she was writing the Miss Myrna column to get a husband. Although she is writing a cleaning column, she has no interest in learning how to clean. She buys banned books off the black market because “if the State of Mississippi banned them, they must be good.”

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Clint Barton (Hawkeye): ISTP

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Guest Post by Rory, INTJ

Marvel Universe

Dominant Introverted Thinking (Ti): It’s easy to see that Clint has a different way of thinking from the start of Marvel’s The Avengers. In a room full of very smart, highly trained, literally “the best in the world” scientists, Barton is the only one to think about the Tesseract (and the portal it created) as a door. Seconds before Loki bursts forth into the room, while scientists have been focusing on the Tesseract for a week, Barton, comparatively a simple soldier, is able to rightly suggest that someone is messing with it from the other side. This is because he relies on his own ideas and what makes sense to him. Actual evidence has no importance. He is also known for sitting in high places, getting a broader view, because he feels he sees things from far away. Few people share this notion, but it does seem to work for our purple-wearing archer.

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Jon Snow: ISFP

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Note: massive spoilers ahead

Game of Thrones, George R. R. Martin

Dominant Introverted Feeling (Fi): Jon is used to being different and doesn’t let other people’s opinions get in the way of doing what he believes is right. His strong moral principles are derived from within himself, and he typically puts his own ethical sense of direction above the feelings of others. After making a series of decisions that the Night’s Watch finds hurtful, he is killed, an experience he struggles to move past. Considering his duties fulfilled, Jon has little issue walking away from people who have rejected him. When he does have trouble choosing a direction, it’s because his emotions are in turmoil. Even if he says nothing, it’s obvious to others when he’s having a hard time (i.e. Daenerys quickly recognizes that he’s keeping something from her), and he can only keep his feelings in before he needs to express them. Jon finds himself unable or unwilling to accept Daenerys’ wish for him to keep silent about his true identity. Despite having been emotionally neglected, Jon is good at talking to his sisters about their feelings.

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Conway – Pokémon: INTP

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Guest Post by Andrew, ENTJ

Pokémon Anime Franchise

Dominant Introverted Thinking (Ti): Conway is an intellectual first and last. He takes pleasure in researching statistics for upcoming battles and has the most fun when he is using his brain. Conway never shares his thought processes with others, preferring to work things out in his head rather than thinking out loud (and excluding input from other people). However, after figuring everything out, he proudly shares his conclusions. Conway has a focus on the theoretical foundations of his battle plans; while this gives him creativity beyond that of Ash, Dawn, or Paul (all Te-users), it also causes him to get caught up in his head rather than pay attention to the reality of his situation.

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Kenny – Pokémon: ENFJ

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Guest Post by Andrew, ENTJ

Pokemon Anime Franchise

Dominant Extroverted Feeling (Fe): Kenny puts others’ emotions before his own. He commiserates with Dawn when she doesn’t make the battle rounds of a contest, even when he qualifies. He also doesn’t put pressure on his Pokemon when they lose battles, preferring to take the blame for himself instead. Kenny tries hard to conceal his feelings for Dawn, as he is unsure how she (or Ash or Brock) will receive them; his main recourse is to tease Dawn about her nickname (“Dee Dee”). When he lets slip certain indicators of how he feels (and Dawn doesn’t notice), he resorts to desperate measures to keep Ash quiet. Upon meeting Ash and Brock, he makes sure to get in their good books right away (by telling funny stories about Dawn), and he befriends Barry, a trainer from his hometown, immediately upon meeting him.

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Matilda: INTJ

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Guest Post by E.J., INTJ

Matilda, Roald Dahl

Dominant Introverted Intuition (Ni): Most young children with parents like Matilda’s would accept their behavior as normal, as Matilda’s older brother does. Matilda, however, figures out that her father is being dishonest and correctly guesses that his behavior may get him in trouble. She also sees that her mother’s belief that women should be primarily interested in their looks has gotten her mother nowhere, and Matilda–not yet six years old–knows that she wants her life to be different. Matilda correctly intuits Miss Trunchbull’s past misdeeds and develops an out-of-the-box plan to deal with her. Matilda has an incredible ability to concentrate, which she applies both to her academic interests and in strategies she develops for daily life. Although Matilda is deeply unconventional, she understands the long-term value of blending into society. As a result, most adults overlook her more nefarious plots.

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Gilderoy Lockhart: ENFP

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Guest Post by Andrew, ENTJ

Harry Potter, J. K. Rowling

Dominant Extroverted Thinking (Ne): Lockhart presents himself as an expert on everything, whether duelling, defeating dark creatures, getting rid of household pests, or the game of Quidditch. He is a prolific author, and always seems to have a new book out, usually about one of his supposed exploits. He relates his stories in fanciful ways, with digressions concerning his personal preferences (favorite color, etc.). Lockhart lives his life in a spontaneous fashion, doing things that many people don’t expect (like taking a teaching job at Hogwarts). He originally has an idealized view of what the experience of teaching is like, and he quickly revises his teaching style after publicly making a fool of himself. All of the things Lockhart says are about trying to maintain and enhance his reputation rather than necessarily doing anything useful, making him appear (with much justification) out of touch with reality.

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Harley – Pokémon: INFP

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Guest Post by Andrew, ENTJ

Pokémon Anime Franchise

Dominant Introverted Feeling (Fi): Harley lives in a reality where feelings are paramount – and only his own, not anyone else’s. In fact, he has a tendency to blow trivial hurts out of proportion and to hold grudges for ridiculous reasons. He doesn’t only hate the girl who stole his snack in school, but also the girl who looks exactly like her (May). He has a vendetta against May for no other reason than this; he does everything in his power to humiliate her in public and derives pleasure from her embarrassment. Harley gives captivating contest performances which engage the emotions of the audience, but he opts to work with their fear and shock rather than their wonder and admiration. He is individualistic in both his clothing style (derived from his favorite Pokemon, Cacturne) and his effeminate mannerisms.

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Homer Hickam: ENFP

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Guest Post by Jessica Prescott, INFJ

October Sky

Dominant Extroverted Intuition (Ne): Homer Hickam is nothing if not a dreamer. He loves new ideas, hates to be cooped up in a small mining town, and, more than anything, longs for a glimpse of the “outside world.” His original (and strongest) motivation to carry out his rocketry project is not a desire to understand how rocket science works, but simply a romantic fascination with the mere idea of rocketry—the idea that human beings can be capable of sending objects up into space. He isn’t shy about sharing his dreams with others, either, but is perfectly willing to blurt out his latest plan at the breakfast table: “I’m gonna build a rocket.” One of Homer’s greatest assets is his optimism—his ability to see possibilities where others see only obstacles. Even though no student from Coalwood has ever won the science fair before, Homer is firmly convinced that he and his friends can pull it off—and he manages to convince them to believe it, too.

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Prince Caspian: INFJ

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Guest Post by E.J., INTJ

The Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis

Dominant Introverted Intuition (Ni): Caspian is a dreamer. As a little boy, his nurse’s stories of Old Narnia capture his imagination, and Caspian’s view of the world is shaped by the stories. Rather than basing his value system on what he sees his uncle Miraz doing, Caspian’s ideals are formed by the heroic legends his nurse repeats to him. Caspian has no strong reason to believe that the old days could return until after he wakes up in the dugout of Trufflehunter, Trumpkin, and Nikabrik. Regardless, he prefers the Narnian moral code, even if he never meets a full-blooded Old Narnian. From a relatively young age, Caspian is driven to accomplish things that other people consider impossible. He successfully defeats Miraz and reawakens Old Narnia—despite the initial superiority of the Telmarine forces—and, as king, he goes on a difficult voyage to find seven Telmarine lords who disappeared when he was a small child. Near the world’s end, Caspian’s imagination almost gets the better of him. He is so fascinated by the thought of traveling to Aslan’s country that he wants to abandon his kingship and continue eastward. Aslan must directly intervene to prevent Caspian from abandoning his responsibilities to follow his imagination.

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Molly Weasley: ESFJ

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Guest Post by Andrew, ENTJ

Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling

Dominant Extroverted Feeling (Fe): Molly is all about family, and she always tries her best to keep hers together. She arranges vacations to visit her sons who live abroad, and she takes it very hard when Percy cuts ties with everyone else. Her worst fear is losing loved ones, rather than suffering some misfortune herself. When she sees Harry by himself, Molly is immediately sensitive to what she thinks he must need (she forbids her children from staring at him like some mythical creature), and she all but adopts him into her family. Molly puts a lot of stock in social standing; she is glad when her husband gets a promotion to a big job that takes him away from his own passion, and she wants her children to have successful careers as well. Molly is openly emotional, and she will always make her feelings abundantly clear.

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Eames – Inception: ENTP

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Guest Post (Re-typing) by E. J., INTJ

Inception

Dominant Intuition (Ne): Eames thinks of himself as a creative person, and he provides many of the ideas that allow Cobb’s team eventually uses in their mission. His flexibility is important as the plan goes forward. Although he does not usually allow himself to become angry with others, Eames finds less creative people difficult to understand. As a result, he tends to introduce ideas in his preferred way–leaving the details to the imagination–despite the confusion this sometimes causes in other people.

Auxiliary Thinking (Ti): Eames does not often explain his reasoning, even when he does have some idea of the details. Arthur, being a Te-user, interprets this tendency as Eames’ failure to fully think out his plans. Eames does prefer to think more widely than deeply, due to his Ne, but he also uses a highly personal system of logic that does not easily translate into words. Eames makes no attempt to reason based on any concept of efficiency: he believes that if something makes sense to him in theory, the details will work out in the real world.

Tertiary Feeling (Fe): Eames pays close attention to others’ behavior and has a relatively good understanding of what motivates his fellow team members. Unfortunately for them––particular Arthur––Eames’ most obvious use of this knowledge is to intentionally get under their skin. More subtly, however, Eames uses his awareness of how the team members think to understand how the team is likely to function as a whole. While Arthur’s criticisms irritate him, Eames recognizes Arthur’s value to their mission and does not attack his competence.

Inferior Sensing (Si): As Arthur points out, specificity can be a weakness for Eames. He has a tendency to introduce new ideas without fully considering the details necessary to carry them out. Eames prefers to think in terms of future possibilities, but he is willing to learn from his mistakes. His earlier attempt at inception did not dissuade him from believing that inception was possible. He did, however, carefully consider what happened, how it went wrong, and how to prevent a similar occurrence. Eames uses his experience to help Cobb from making the same errors.

Johanna Mason: ENTJ

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Guest Post by Kerissa, INFJ

The Hunger Games

Dominant Extroverted Thinking (Te): At the interviews for the 75th Hunger Games, Johanna is the first to directly question if the games could be changed. She’s very blunt. For example: when Katniss is explaining canaries in coal mines, Johanna asks, “What’s it do, die?” She also says, “I’m not like the rest of you. There’s no one left I love.” In District 13, she’s the one who makes Katniss stick with training through a mixture of ‘motivational insults’ and pushiness.

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