Zombies Ruin Everything

While my post on The Three Types of ISTP- Arya, Bronn, and The Hound (Game of Thrones) received some positive feedback, the unfortunate thing is that there are only so many works of fiction with the varying degrees of the same type. So there’s only many posts like that to be made.

But thanks to Metal Gear Solid, we’ve at least two solid examples of an INTP that will allow me to write a full article. Weeee-

First we’ve got Solid Snake’s trusty sidekick, Hal ‘Otacon’ Emmerich.

This guy has been with Snake almost from the beginning and he really is what makes them such a formidable duo. If not for Snake, missions wouldn’t be carried out and there wouldn’t be much of a game to play. But ‘Otacon’ does all the behind-the-computer work that allows Snake to have an idea of what he’s getting himself into before he infiltrates a military base or whatever it is he’s infiltrating that day.

Otacon is a good example of the INTP that really is just a well-meaning nerd. I mean that in a positive way. I even thought he may be INFP at first because of how emotional he is over the course of the games but then again, it’s often because loved ones are dying around him and you can’t fault a guy for that. Also, he peed himself while hiding in a locker upon him and Snake’s first meeting and I just didn’t know what type was most likely to do that came. So I’d come to a fork in the road, all because of a little pee.

But because INTP’s first function is Ti (Introverted Thinking) and their inferior is Fe (Extroverted Feeling), this can create for an imbalance of emotions. At times, whatever’s happening may not seem like a big deal yet an INTP may overreact in the most awkward way. Other times, the INTP should care about what’s going on, but they just can’t work themselves up to do anything about it or even act like they care.

Either way, it can feel like the INTP you know is a robot programmed to care but they still don’t know what it means to give a crap. The fact is, many INTPs are kind of child-like in their emotions. Generally, the feelings just aren’t there and the INTP is unaware they can even have feelings like they do…so when they really do care about something or someone, it comes out in bursts and can be pretty weird for people to experience if they’re not around the INTP a lot.

Otacon even got into creating Metal Gears because of his love for anime (which of course, is also where his name comes from). He doesn’t even know Metal Gear Rex is used for anything other than defensive purposes. His love for the women throughout the series is also displayed awkwardly. While some types engage their lower Fe function for manipulation, INTPs just use it when they feel it, and aren’t aware of it at other times. They’re like big kids in that way and it’s the same way when it comes to explaining something they’re into; they don’t realize they’ve been going on forever about it because they’re just so into it.

And then there’s Fatman.

Nobody knows Fatman’s real name.

Also, he’s fat. Are you with me so far?

Fatman is the INTP to Psycho Mantis’ INTJ. They get into what they do because they want to hurt people using their unique gifts. Developing a fascination with clocks and explosives at a young age (deadly combination there), he grew to hate people yet also wanted to be acknowledged as the best at what he did.

Originally, this made me think ENTP, as INTPs are much less likely to want any sort of admiration for what they do. But with Fatman being a psychopathic narcissist, there’s a lot to be written off for his behavior and goals as it doesn’t fit within the normal confines of a particular type’s interest. There’s what each type is more likely to be drawn toward but exceptions are certainly to be made.

INTP villains can be difficult to find. Well-written ones anyway. Often times, they blur the lines between a character that does wrong and a character that doesn’t realize their actions are harmful. Fatman falls into the former but his actions aren’t for the sake of hurting others, that just comes with the territory and he doesn’t mind.

As villains, they’ll usually just work for the main villain or they’ll become they’re own test subject and turn into a monster of some sort, void of all personality. And Fatman did become a monster of sorts, though there wasn’t a physical change past “laughing and growing fat” as we’re given the history of Fatman and his mentor, Peter Stillman. Though Stillman treated the bald explosives genius like a son, Fatman had no respect for authority and grew to hate his teacher, eventually killing him in the Big Shell incident; a bizarre event orchestrated by the Patriots. Isn’t everything?

As mentioned plenty of times, INTPs normally just want to be left alone to work on their ideas and concepts, even if those things don’t have an overall point and just interest the INTP at that particular time. But INTPs can get so involved in their own way of doing things (always in an “against-the-grain” fashion) that to do anything outside of their way is considered stupid or a waste of time.

And dying is total waste of time.

So INTP villains can often be found in their labs muttering any version of “So they all laugh at me?! I’ll show them all!” They’re not out to be evil, they’ve just become so selfish overtime that they don’t care about anyone but themselves.

SJ types are known to get in their routines and become near impossible to change their ways but INTPs can do things in a similar manner, albeit much strangely in comparison to more mainstream routines. An INTP may become so involved in their world of tinkering, conspiracies, mathematics, etc., that the outside world just looks like one big clock that’s ever moving forward but doesn’t make a bit of difference if they’re not paying attention to it anyway. Fatman’s love just happens to be explosives and there’s nothing wrong with wanting to be the best at what you do…except maybe when it involves murder.

While their Sensor cousin, the ISTP (Both whose top function is Ti and inferior function is Fe), may love to tinker for the sake of the act, the INTP’s auxiliary function is Ne, which acts interestingly in this placement; the Ti breaks down the possible while the Ne expands on all the possibilities of what’s left over after breaking it down. While Otacon used this to create the most powerful (and ridiculous) weapon ever to come into existence, Fatman had no comparison when it came to explosives.

As Fatman said, he is both the best humanity has to offer and the lowest. While he may have meant that his brilliance had no equal while simultaneously expressing awareness of his reputation, both INTPs in this post may be summed up by this phrase. Fatman’s genius is taking something that could have been used for good but he chose to selfishly destroy, Otacon does everything he can with very little thought of his own well being.

Too bad Fatman didn’t live to see himself in beautiful HD graphics.

This entry was posted on 03/13/2015 at 12:24 am and is filed under MBTI Rationals, MBTI Stuff, MBTI Whatever with tags Fatman, intp, mbti in fiction, metal gear solid, metal gear solid 2, otacon. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.