It’s been a few months since I did a blog post that revolves heavily around Shifting Sands. A side-effect of my research life holding more salience lately, I would guess. But, with only a few weeks to go until we hit the next wave, it feels like a good time to dive back in! I really enjoyed testing Aamarin’s character MBTI, so now I’d like to turn my attention to his pairing: Nahlena. Ever the indecisive character, Aamarin’s test results suggested he was ISTJ, but that he only slightly edged into some categories. He’s borderline on both introversion and sensing, which largely aligned with my experience writing him. But what results will the MBTI test show for Nahlena’s character? Let’s find out!
Writing Nahlena
Since my Aamarin post already went over a lot of why I’m curious about the MBTI and character, I’m reluctant to go over it again, so instead I thought I’d talk about Nahlena. My red priestess. In the set-up of Shifting Sands, all the characters have a pair where their perspective chapters will never appear together. In her case, this is Aamarin – which is part of the reason I felt she was the logical next character to examine. If I’ve looked at him, I should look at her. The second reason I want to look at her means a bit of the internal workings of Shifting Sands, so, if you don’t want hints of spoilers, skip to the next heading!
Skipped?
Shifting Sands is set up so that the reader can theoretically choose who they want to view as the protagonist. I’ve heard a few different choices, so I like to think this has been a success. If you’ve read it, I’d love to hear your thoughts! But for me, as the writer, Nahlena has always been the protagonist. She was one of the first characters I thought of, the one who’s story was mapped out, and who, in my view, causes a lot of the things that happen. It’s not uncommon for authors to unconsciously project themselves onto a character – particularly the main character! That’s part of the reason I started testing mine against the MBTI (and, you know, I find it really fun). As the “protagonist”, is Nahlena’s character MBTI like mine?
Nahlena’s Character MBTI
Obviously, no MBTI test is perfect, but I do find Nahlena’s result quite amusing. According to 16personalities.com, she is ENFJ: the protagonist. And, unlike the borderline allocations of Aamarin, Nahlena sits firmly in each trait!
Extroverted
A rather predictable result here. I think I’d have scrapped the test entirely if it tried to call Nahlena Introverted. She lives for the people of the City and loves to be around them. So much so that the Temple, if she was being fully honest, feels a bit suffocating at times. Unlike Aamarin, Nahlena doesn’t crave the spotlight – even as an extrovert – but she is a natural leader.
iNtuitive
Intuition also makes a great deal of sense for Nahlena. She is always looking for the deeper meaning, especially in relation to other people’s actions. Or the Gods. Where Aamarin looks for clear evidence, such as a holy text, to direct his behaviour, Nahlena bases her action on what she thinks it all means.
Feeling
The Thinking/Feeling preference pair is where a character’s MBTI would influence their decision making. Aamarin, predictably, landed as a Thinking preference as he considers logic to be the most important motivator. He wants to be objective. Nahlena, by contrast, always roots her decisions in people. She is more driven by the desire to help others or create harmony. In her case, this is probably the space where she is most impulsive but also most stubborn once she’s made that choice.
Perceiving
And again, another clear yes for Nahlena here. She’s not against planning, per se, but she is quick to adapt to situations as needed. Her bigger problem is that this can lead to impulsive (and rash) decisions…
Character MBTI: Aamarin’s Opposite
When I first decided to test Nahlena, I was curious as to how like me she was. Was she my accidental author insert? And, from what I’ve found, the answer is a resounding no. There are traits in common, obviously. But, while I can be borderline in some areas (Thinking versus Feeling), I don’t think I’ve ever had an MBTI result that didn’t call me Introverted. If I’m looking to find which perspective character I’m most like, it’s not Nahlena.
What is more interesting about these results, however, is that Nahlena (ENFP) is the exact opposite of Aamarin (ISTJ). This is the first time I’m testing the characters, so I can’t take credit for doing this intentionally, but it’s something I find… kinda cool. Will this be the way for all the pairs, or is there something about these two? I’m eager to find out!
