"Not to brag, but some people call me a dog whisperer."
- Turning Tides, Chapter 2

Malia Tsai is the main protagonist of Turning Tides by laurendoubleu, a fantasy short story, blended with sapphic romance. She is a scientist who lost everything, including her own life, at sea, but is given a second chance at life as a water spirit. Beatrice accompanies her in her underwater adventure.

Assigned MBTI for her:

Cognitive functions:

Ni (Introverted intuition) > Te (Extraverted thinking) > Fi (Introverted feeling) > Se (Extraverted sensing)

Based on her behavior and how she solved problems coming her way, Malia strikes me as an INTJ, the architect. INTJs are, second to ENTP, my favorite MBTI type as they are known to be highly intelligent. However, when faced with highly stressful situations, Malia's MBTI can abruptly change into INFJ.

SUMMARY

From the start, we learned Malia is a passionate scientist specialized in engineering---major respect to her because engineering is one of the most difficult majors out there. She is logical, seeing the world through the lens of physics. This was imminent when she trains as a water spirit or when she analyzes the powers she obtained through the ocean. Additionally, anything that piques her interest, especially within her field, you can see stars shining in her eyes as she explains how it works.

She has also a great amount of sass, such as when she bickers with her crew and Beatrice, so she has some wit. However, she is single-minded, where she focuses greatly on a goal: to return to the surface and work again as a scientist. Throughout the story, I can say she is also the great epitome of a perfectionist; she tends to overthink and blames herself when missions do not come as perfectly as intended.

INTROVERSION:

Malia is the type of person to work independently; I can see all the countless bickerings if she works in a team---INTJs are known to be stubborn regarding their factual beliefs. She energizes her emotions by drowning herself in her thoughts. If she can choose to bury herself in her lab work and research projects 24/7 or socializing with other people, I feel like she leans more to the former. She is not a huge fan of oversharing ideas and strategies, unless if it's regarding work-related stuff or friends she establishes genuine connection with.

INTUITIVE

Her dominant function, her introverted intuition (Ni), is seen when she is explaining the science of waves and fluid dynamics. While she remembers scientific facts, she assesses from the big picture of the situation. She understands generally on how these concepts work, enabling her to demonstrate them in reality. While Malia may be seen as an on-present person, she contemplates deeply about her future especially in throughout early and middle parts of the story, where she thinks all the perks and consequences of being a water spirit, and how to go back to being in land.

And... that's why she often times go through many, many existential crisis.

THINKING

Now this is the part where I'm quite unsure. Her thinking is pretty turbulent enough (INTJ-T) to the point where I actually think she is an INFJ, but this is her tertiary function, introverted feeling (Fi), at play. Her emotionally-charged responses in the story include when she tries to save a shipwrecked boat from a group of ghouls and when she faces a familiar enemy that had caused a massive, devastating event to her and her crew.

Meanwhile, in normal situations, she typically uses scientific facts (science, science and science is what fills her head) to solve issues regarding how she swims, or even how she helps capsized boats. This is an example of her extraverted thinking (Te), where the moment she establishes much control over a situation and has the proper structures, she is brought to satisfaction.

JUDGING

Malia is very methodical. Although at times she can be flexible, her "J" attitude is so blatant throughout the story. She abides to only things that are familiar to her, such as when she rather be in the lab (her comfort zone) rather than be in the middle of the ocean, everything so unfamiliar with her. She finds it a nuisance when things are not running her way, and she will do whatever it takes to bring her daily routine back, such as when she is resurrected as a water spirit.

If her scientific thinking does not work on her favor (supernatural stuff), she is prone to grow frustrated. Thanks to Beatrice as well as Malia's thirst for knowledge, it does help her slowly adapt and learn to deal with unexpected situations.

And hence, after reading her experiences and her character development, she is an INTJ, growing to the healthier side.

Real life examples of INTJs include Wednesday Addams from Wednesday, Elizabeth Harmon from The Queen's Gambit, Lelouch from Code Geass, and Suguru Geto from Jujutsu Kaisen.

What are your thoughts, if you read this book? Do let me know in the comments! :D

Other possibilities:
INFJ