#the depression and emotional repression but like. accidentally and the image of maturity that's not really what it seems

[sokkagatekeeper]

mai — INTJ (NiTeFiSe)

Ni: introverted intuition is not a superpower but it could be. mai has a sharp abilily to sit down, observe, and wait. this allows her both a survival method in her strict homelife, and a very precise and unique understanding of the world around her. unlike azula (who uses Ne) mai isn’t usually versatile when things go unexpectedly, but we can’t say she’s surprised when it happens, either. her readings are nuanced but usually at least partially correct. mainly with ty lee, whom she understands as both having azula wrapped around her finger and wrapped around azula’s finger herself, which is not that acurrate but it’s still more acurrate than azula’s understanding of ty lee. without even trying (because she never lies; she puts layers and layers of disinterest and misery over her actual personality until no one and not even her can tell the difference anymore) she has everyone fooled into thinking she’s always in control of herself, always rational about the situations she finds herself into, even when that’s objectively untrue.

Te: because mai is so good at observing and staying in the background as things play out, the way she behaves during the boiling rock p2 is surprising because she isn’t usually that impulsive or even active in general if it isn’t in her own self-interest, but in a way it’s easy to understand why and how she does it. not only narratively and interms of character, but in her fighting method in general: she’s always waiting for the perfect moment to strike, and when she finds it, she takes it. her morality isn’t her strong point exactly because her Fi (values) is so underdeveloped. so yes, she is an observer most of the time, but when she finds the perfect moment to strike, she takes it without hesitating. that’s extroverted thinking babey!!!

Fi: as i mentioned earlier, her introverted feeling is very underdeveloped and so Te which is all action and objective truth tends to crush most of the sense of morality in her (which is why estj is Like That), so she’s always acting in her own self-interest. however, mai is still extremely nice for the circumstances she finds herself in, and her betrayal of azula in order to save zuko comes from her very own moral code, to put it that way. she usually doesn’t enjoy talking about or expressing her feelings but she longs for a sincere, real connection and most of all an emotional truth, which no one has ever given to her. when zuko gives her one, making that choice at the boiling rock is easy for her. she doesn’t do it because it’s the right thing to do for the war, or the world, or even in her own self-interest, clearly, but because it’s the right thing to do for zuko, whom she cares about, and herself.

Se: this function tends to make the user contemplate at the very least making a few decisions in the heat of the moment (mind the irony i guess) as it’s a very present and immediate function. as mai is always observing, analyzing, and unknowingly making plans, and focusing on her own self-preservation, this turns to be quite difficult for her, but. but. much like she has a moment of sensibility once six months, she has a moment of impulsivity once every one year. mai’s irrational choice at the boiling rock is both a result of 1) how? her setting it all into motion in that specific way because of months of observing and picturing how things would play out, and 2) why? because of the sake of doing what feels right in that moment in particular; what is the immediate course of action that will get tangible results. it only comes out under pressure, and she executes it perfectly.