By Nameless
Notes: I really get fanfic ideas at the oddest points during the day. This one popped into my head while I was on a Myers-Briggs LJ community. (You should also note that I am procrastinating on finishing and writing a short paper on this book I need to have done for a seminar.) Moving on – I decided to focus on Flash and Wonder Woman in this ficlet, simply because you don't get nearly enough interaction between these two on the show. So, without further ado – onto the story!
Wonder Woman, A.K.A. Diana of Themyscira, drummed her long fingers along the titanium console impatiently. She had monitor duty with Flash, which essentially meant that she had monitor duty, as the Fastest Man Alive (TM) could rarely sit still long enough to do any actual monitoring. To be fair, there really wasn't much going on down on Earth that needed to be taken care of – in fact, that was the primary source of Diana's irritation. After all, spending any extended period of time with no one but the hyperactive Wally West for company would be enough to make anyone feel an intense desire to hit something.
Still, she hadn't heard a peep out of the Flash for a few minutes – an inordinate amount of time for him. He'd spend the greater part of the past few hours flitting around the control room, expressing his boredom and generally finding new and innovative ways to avoid paying attention to the various screens displaying images of everyday life on the blue planet below. Flash had left the room ten minutes before, saying that he wanted a quick snack – which meant, if Diana's calculations were correct, he should have been back nine minutes and thirty seconds ago.
Oh well, Diana wasn't one to complain about a moment's peace and quiet. No sooner had she thought this, however, than did a rush of air and rustle of paper signal her young colleague's return.
It took all of her training and Amazon-bred discipline not to audibly sigh in exasperation. She was surprised to see, however, that rather than playing with the controls and making the British Parliament appear a sickly shade of green, he was chewing thoughtfully on a blue pen and reading what appeared to be a computer printout.
"Flash?" she asked, wondering what could be so interesting that it would keep him silent for minutes on end.
"Hmm?" he replied after a moment, looking up from the papers in his hand but still accosting the unfortunate pen with his teeth.
"What are you reading?"
"Oh, just this Myers-Briggs test I printed out. Apparently I'm an ENFP."
Diana blinked, resolving not even to pretend that she had understood a word that had come out of Flash's mouth. "Pardon me?"
"Oh, uh, it's basically a personality test. You answer a bunch of questions, total your score in four different categories, and it places you in one of sixteen groups. I'm extroverted, intuitive, feeling, and perceptive – ENFP."
Diana couldn't help rolling her eyes at the notion. "So you expect me to believe that there are only sixteen types of people in the world?"
"Naw, they're really basic guidelines. And it's not like you should take a test like this totally seriously – it even says so. Still, it seems pretty accurate..."
"Really?" Diana asked, becoming interested in spite of herself. "What does it say about you?"
"Look for yourself," Wally said, removing the piece of paper he had been reading from the messy pile he was holding and handing it to her.
Diana looked at the heading of the paper and quirked an eyebrow. "The Inspirer?" she asked incredulously, wondering why a professional psychiatric test would use such clichéd terminology.
"Yeah, they give a title to each of the sixteen types. 'Inspirer' is easier to remember than 'ENFJ.'"
"ENFP," Diana corrected.
"Case in point!" Flash replied, his mouth twisting into a half-cocked grin. Diana, meanwhile, kept reading.
"'ENFPs are warm, enthusiastic people, typically very bright and full of potential. They live in the world of possibilities, and can become very passionate and excited about things.'" Diana paused. "Enthusiastic, fine, but 'bright and full of potential?'"
"Ack, Princess, you wound me!" Wally cried, clutching his chest melodramatically.
"'To onlookers, the ENFP may seem directionless and without purpose, but ENFPs are actually quite consistent, in that they have a strong sense of values which they live with throughout their lives. Everything that they do must be in line with their values.'" Diana actually stopped to consider the merit of that statement – for all his hyperactivity and usual irresponsibility, Flash had indeed proven time and again that he was more than capable of getting serious if the need should truly arise; and no one would question his own strong, if somewhat simplistic, grasp of morality.
"'ENFPs sometimes make serious errors in judgment,'" Diana continued, now bearing a definite smirk. "Well, at least portions of this are accurate."
"You know, I'm starting to regret showing you this thing," Flash said with mock irritation.
"'They're constantly aware and somewhat fearful of losing touch with themselves.'" Diana again looked up at her red-clad colleague. "Is that true?"
"Well, yeah, I guess," Wally replied after a moment, shrugging and attempting to appear nonchalant. "Then again, I think it's sort of part of this whole superhero deal." Diana nodded, the memory of fighting their power-mad doppelgangers all too fresh in her mind.
Nevertheless, she could not help but doubt the validity of a multiple choice test that claimed to diagnose something as complicated as a human personality. Diana returned to staring disinterestedly at the glowing monitors, assuming Flash had done the same. However, when she turned to her coworker, she found that he had resumed reading through the large pile of papers and gnawing on his blue pen.
"What are you doing now?" she asked impatiently, wondering why he would still be skimming that printout, having finished reading his own results.
"Oh, I'm just looking through the other categories. Trying to guess who would fit where..." He trailed off, shuffling through the pile and yanking out one more piece of paper. "I say, eight-to-five odds, Superman would end up here."
Diana took the paper, reading the bolded heading aloud. "ISTJ – The Duty Fulfiller." She skimmed over the sheet in her hand.
ISTJ's have a strongly-felt internal sense of duty, which lends them a serious air and the motivation to follow through on tasks.
ISTJs are very loyal, faithful, and dependable. They place great importance on honesty and integrity. They're not comfortable with breaking laws or going against the rules. If they are able to see a good reason for stepping outside of the established mode of doing things, the ISTJ will support that effort.
They like to be accountable for their actions, and enjoy being in positions of authority.
"You're right," Diana said, having finished reading the paper in her hands. "This does sound like Clark." 'Eerily so,' she added internally, but did not say aloud.
"See?" said Wally with a self-satisfied smile plastered on his face. "Oh, and who does this remind you of?" he asked, handing Diana yet another portion of his printout.
The Mechanic - ISTPs have a compelling drive to understand the way things work. They're good at logical analysis, and like to use it on practical concerns.
They thrive on action, and are usually fearless. ISTPs are fiercely independent, needing to have the space to make their own decisions about their next step.
ISTPs like and need to spend time alone, because this is when they can sort things out in their minds most clearly. They absorb large quantities of impersonal facts from the external world, and sort through those facts, making judgments, when they are alone.
ISTPs are excellent in crisis situations. They're usually good athletes, and have very good hand-eye coordination. They are good at following through with a project, and tying up loose ends.
"Batman," she said without hesitation, smiling at the almost frighteningly accurate description.
"Yep, that's what I was thinking," Flash agreed, nodding. "Especially the bits about a 'grim emotional state' and 'wanting no part in confining relationships.'" His hand flew to his mouth a split second after saying so, however, Wonder Woman's glare indicating that he had, as usual, put his foot in his mouth.
"Uh, right, so I'm just going to go back to watching the screens now," he stammered, taking a sudden interest in the U.S. House of Representatives.
A solid minute passed before Diana spoke again. "What group do you think I would fit into?" Diana asked, her curiosity once more getting the better of her, despite knowing full well where such a conversation would lead.
"Not sure. Wanna take the test and find out?" Wally asked hopefully.
Diana had not yet had a chance to respond when a small packet was thrust into her face, having been removed from the pile of papers that was now sitting atop the console.
"I printed out an extra test in case you were interested," Flash said sheepishly, responding to her questioning look.
Diana hesitated. "We really should be watching—"
"I'll watch them," Flash interrupted, holding up one hand as if to silence Diana's concerns. "It's a slow day anyway, I'll tell you if I see anything."
Diana's lips twisted into something of a cross between a smile and a grimace, knowing she had backed herself into a proverbial corner. She sighed, mumbling that there wasn't much else to do.
"I'll need something to write with," she said, looking distastefully at what had been the end of Wally's blue pen.
"Oh, heh, I'll get you another pen," he said, discarding the chewed-up remains of the one he had been using. He looked around the control room briefly before spotting and retrieving a ballpoint pen, this one black, at the other end of the room.
Diana began reading over and pondering the questions on the papers in front of her, noting how they fluctuated between more general queries and highly specific questions regarding everyday habits.
Do you tend to act on emotion or logic? Do you avoid confrontation when possible?Would you consider yourself argumentative?
Do you prefer wearing dark, solid colors or bright, vibrant patterns?
If you had to choose between losing your sight and your sense of hearing, which would you pick?
She opted to avoid wondering about the relevance of some of the questions on the paper, instead answering them to the best of her ability. Within 15 minutes, she had completed the short test and began totaling her score. Extroverted... Sensory... Thinking... Judgmental.
"ESTJ," she said aloud, getting Flash's attention. Flash, who had again taken to playing with the tint and color controls for the room's monitors, rushed back to his increasingly messy pile of papers.
"Lemme see...ah-ha!" he cried triumphantly, fishing out the profile in question. "The Guardian."
"Hand it over," Diana said seriously.
"Nope, I wanna read it first!" Wally said with a laugh, rushing to the opposite wall to prevent Diana's confiscation of her personality synopsis. He skimmed the paper before laughing aloud. "Ahh, this is great!" he cackled.
"Oh, for Zeus' sake, what does it say?" Diana asked with a glare.
"Ahem," Flash cleared his throat noisily. "'They live in the present, with their eye constantly scanning their personal environment to make sure that everything is running smoothly and systematically. They honor traditions and laws, and have a clear set of standards and beliefs.'"
"And what's wrong with that?" Diana asked confrontationally – she had always prided herself on her high standards and sense of personal dignity.
"Let me finish. 'They expect the same of others, and have no patience or understanding of individuals who do not value these systems.'"
"Quiet, you," Diana replied, though she had to admit that this was a fairly accurate appraisal.
"'They are self-confident and aggressive,'" Flash continued. "Yadda yadda yadda... 'They can sometimes be very demanding and critical, because they have such strongly held beliefs, and are likely to express themselves without reserve if they feel someone isn't meeting their standards.'" He allowed a moment for that to sink in before moving on.
"'ESTJs can be very boisterous and fun at social events.'" Again, he paused. "Well, I never said these things were totally accurate," he remarked with a wide grin.
"Give me that!" Diana yelled, striding across the room and snatching the paper from Wally's hands.
Their expressions can be taken at face-value, because the ESTJ is extremely straightforward and honest.
The ESTJ needs to watch out for the tendency to be too rigid, and to become overly detail-oriented. Since they put a lot of weight in their own beliefs, it's important that they remember to value other people's input and opinions.
She couldn't help smiling when she had finished reading the paper in front of her. Perhaps she had been too critical of this 'Myers-Briggs' test earlier. After all, it appeared to do just what it professed: place people in one of sixteen very general categories, simply for the sake of intellectual curiosity.
"Uh, Princess?" Flash asked, bringing Diana back to the present. "Penny for your thoughts?"
"Actually," she said, looking at her partner for the day, "I was just thinking..." she trailed off, seeking to build suspense.
"Thinking what?" Flash cried anxiously, his tone straddling the fine line between shouting and whining.
Diana crumpled the paper in her hands and flung it directly at Wally's nose. "That we should get back to our actual jobs," she said, taking her seat once more.
Flash rolled his eyes and sighed dramatically. "Yeah, yeah, whatever you say," he said, making his own way back to the console.
Wonder Woman was not, however, able to hide the hint of smile that remained on her face.
A few hours later, a loud beeping rang throughout the Watchtower, signaling the arrival of Green Lantern and Superman, ready to relieve Flash and Wonder Woman. John entered the main control room first, pleasantly surprised to see that there had been no bloodshed, despite Hawkgirl's bets regarding Flash's unwanted advances. Fortunate – GL would have hated to lose ten dollars and a teammate.
"So, you managed to get through the day without getting your ass kicked. I'm impressed," John quipped, directing his comment at the sitting Flash.
Wally and Diana looked at one another before he responded. "Well, she might have wanted to, but that would probably conflict with her clear set of standards and beliefs," he said, suppressing a chuckle.
"Besides," Diana noted with a smile, "I'm sure we all would have missed his inspiring presence." This time, Flash could not hold back the laughter, and within a few seconds Wonder Woman had joined in the seemingly impromptu display of mirth.
Clark and John, meanwhile, stared in utter confusion at the scene before them. What had happened in the past twenty-four hours?
Flash soon calmed down and leapt out of his chair. "Well, I'm heading out." He looked pointedly at Superman. "Wouldn't want to get in the way of you fulfilling your duties," he said with a smirk, evoking another giggle from Diana, who was also making to leave.
"Call if you need me," she said as she left the control room.
"Ditto," called Wally, rushing out the large metallic doors.
The next few moments passed without a word as Superman and GL stared at the recently vacated seats.
"Alright, what was that?" asked John, breaking the awkward silence.
Clark merely shrugged. "I don't ask questions," he said, taking his seat at the control panel. "I just work here."
Neither of them noticed the various papers strewn across the floor.
Endnotes and Credits: This ended up quite a bit longer than I expected, but overall I'm pretty happy with it. I figured Flash would be most likely to mess around with a personality test, just for the hell of it, and I just loved the idea of Wonder Woman grappling with questions such as, "Would you rather build a model house out of cards or matchsticks?" I got these classifications and descriptions from . (For the record, I'm an ESTP – just thought I'd share). Well, that's enough babbling out of me. You know the drill – please review, as both praise and constructive criticism are appreciated!