Verity's Book

Characters - 16 Personality Types

Overall, active and charming describe Derek pretty well. He doesn't have the same rapport with people that his highly intuitive father does, but he enjoys social interaction and usually gets along well with the world. Interestingly, Derek is less self-conscious socially than ESTPs tend to be. He's quite willing to be assertive and even blunt when the occasion arises, for which reason I was tempted to place him in ESTJ. However, when you compare him with Mordred, you can see that while Derek might not have a lot of concern for his self-image, it's there, especially as he grows into his twenties and past the flay-the-skin-off-your-back-teasing stage(child and teen years were pretty bad...)

ESTPs tend to be highly kinesthetic. This is Derek to the letter. With keen hand-eye coordination and mechanical dexterity, it's no surprise that he ended up a lover of whittling, archery and knife-throwing. In our modern world, he'd be the family fix-it guy. "Fenris, the sink has a leak! Should I call the plumber?" "Nah, have Derek take a look at it."

"Because of their preference for hands-on activities, ESTPs may underperform in academic settings." This made me laugh, because one of the first things that was clear about Derek's childhood was that he hated schooling. He wanted to be outside chasing deer! I shudder to imagine what being confined in a modern-day public school would have done to him. (The little AU plot bunnies are forming, forming...)

"ESTPs are generally open and adaptable to new experiences." When Derek was twelve, he decided he wanted to be a member of the Legean Association when he grew up... and it took eight years, but he eventually did. At age nineteen, before joining the Legean Association, he left Ceristen for a year to serve as a mail courier. Which just goes to show that not only is Derek open to new experiences, he goes out and makes them happen.

He's more doer than talker -- accurate, again. Mordred's introvert, Derek's extrovert, but it's Mordred who's the chatty guy. Derek would prefer a glass of wine and some terse, witty banter. Some sparse discussion on who's getting married next. He laughs more than he talks at receptions.

"ESTPs are more apt to internalize or act on their frustrations than openly talk about them." This is what clinched it for me. Whatever is bothering him, Derek locks down on it. Unlike Mordred, who just refuses to talk about it, Derek doesn't know how. Needless to say... this can lead to dangerous things.

While Derek can be carefree and humorous, his Introverted Thinking function (ES"T"P) causes him to be very serious and intense in making decisions. People would describe him as having a more forceful personality than an easygoing one. He also has strong inner discipline, which is helped along by his natural bent towards activity and getting things done. He likes to play by ear and figure life out on the fly, but when he focuses, he is focused.

Derek's is a life of the immediate and the concrete. All the abstract thought and idealistic, potential based concepts that Mordred likes to dwell on are not for him! Who cares about the theory of relativity -- what's important is what is happening in the world. Right. Now.

Douglas Kenhelm(2nd generation; shows up in Sorrow and Song): ENFP

Douglas came out the same type as his dad but for one letter: he's extroverted, not introverted. And... while I instinctively put him in introvert, I think the test was in fact accurate. There's varying degrees of introversion/extroversion, of course, and I would hazard that Douglas is about 45% introvert. But one thing's certain: he's a lot like his dad. (EDIT: I JUST came across this in the article. "As Extraverts, they are not opposed to action, while as Intuitives, they are not opposed to reflection. In this sense, ENFPs represent a sort of hybrid between Introverts and Extraverts." So THERE YOU GO. XD)

"ENFPs are enthusiastic, idealistic, restless, and open-minded, with wide-ranging interests." This is one of the reasons Douglas gets along so well with Derek. As different as they are in many respects, they both love to try out new things. Douglas is the idealist of their duo: he sees the vision. Derek is the realist: he sets a goal and works towards it. Together, they make an amazing team.