Which character are you?
April 2, 2020 8:36 PM   Subscribe

This personality test from the Open-Source Psychometrics Project will rate your similarity to over 400 fictional characters, out of works ranging from Parks and Recreation to Pride and Prejudice.

After taking the test, you can take an optional survey to rate a random selection of characters that you are familiar with, to improve the model for future test-takers.

On the results page, click to show the “Full match list” if you want to see rankings for the entire character list, rather than just the top match.
posted by mbrubeck (182 comments total) 32 users marked this as a favorite
 
I’ve taken this quiz three times, answering slightly differently each time. Some of the results varied, but the top match was Ken Cosgrove. Every time.

I’ve only seen a few episodes of Mad Men and am not sure how to feel about this.
posted by mbrubeck at 8:40 PM on April 2, 2020 [1 favorite]


I think Ken turns out to be on the less douchey side in the long run?

This test assigned me a Big Bang Theory character, therefore it sucks.
posted by tobascodagama at 8:51 PM on April 2, 2020 [20 favorites]


I got Willow from Buffy and I honestly can’t argue at all.
posted by nonasuch at 8:55 PM on April 2, 2020 [8 favorites]


I should get around to watching Parks and Rec to see how I feel about being this April Ludgate, but downballot I’m not sure what to make of matching Gollum and Rick from Casablanca more or less equally. Play it, my precious.
posted by rodlymight at 9:05 PM on April 2, 2020 [11 favorites]


hurm.
posted by vrakatar at 9:05 PM on April 2, 2020 [3 favorites]


You can filter by “Universe” (drop-down menu at the top of the results) to see which Harry Potter character you are, which Friends character, etc.

For The Office, I got Jim and my spouse got Pam. For Avatar, I got Katara and they got Aang. This has to be a good sign.
posted by mbrubeck at 9:06 PM on April 2, 2020 [6 favorites]


Every time I see one of these sites, I realize the “Wallet Inspector” gambit would be actually be lucrative enough for me to retire on.

People love to complain about FB algorithms, Russian election hacking, general erosion of privacy brought on by tech companies, etc., but as soon as an “answer all these question about yourself to learn what X your are!”, people fall over themselves to answer them. Might as well be posting about the “What was your childhood best friend’s name?/What City where you born in?/Where do you do your online banking? Challenge!”
posted by sideshow at 9:07 PM on April 2, 2020 [29 favorites]


O... mar little? ...looks like I’ll have to re-watch the Wire.
posted by From Bklyn at 9:07 PM on April 2, 2020 [5 favorites]


Of the people I know, I'm most like Willow Rosenberg and Abed Nadir. So happy. Also loved comparing with my spouse (delighted with both the characters we both are and the ones in which we got both halves of a couple).

Not sure how much I'm like Filius Flitwick. Didn't get to know him all that well in the books. Pam from the Office and Georgiana Darcy are surprises I quite like. Love how many fandoms are packed in here.
posted by Margalo Epps at 9:07 PM on April 2, 2020 [3 favorites]


Great. Just took the 121 question version, and it gave me a character from The West Wing, which I've never watched. Time well spent.
posted by Saxon Kane at 9:09 PM on April 2, 2020 [4 favorites]


I am apparently 88% River Tam and I'm not entirely sure what to make of that result.
posted by Two unicycles and some duct tape at 9:09 PM on April 2, 2020 [4 favorites]


Can't argue with the results, be it what they are: Mike Ehrmantraut (Breaking Bad) and Ron Swanson (Parks and Rec) and Lisa Simpson (Simpsons). Yea, fair.
posted by RolandOfEld at 9:11 PM on April 2, 2020 [5 favorites]


I'm fascinated that my bottom 3 Marvel matches are
13. Captain America
14. Thanos
15. Hawkeye
posted by Saxon Kane at 9:12 PM on April 2, 2020 [1 favorite]


I am apparently 88% River Tam and I'm not entirely sure what to make of that result.
In the interest of science, could you go outside and beat up everyone? So we can determine the accuracy of this test.
posted by Horkus at 9:19 PM on April 2, 2020 [5 favorites]


Lots of the pairs they gave me as spectrums didn’t seem opposed to me at all. And then the scatter plots at the end were... not quite uniform, but that’s a lot of spread. (Is this something Giles the librarian would say? Lisa Simpson?)
posted by clew at 9:21 PM on April 2, 2020


Meredith Grey (Grey's Anatomy)

It’s funny cuz my kid has been binge watching Grey’s Anatomy, maybe this is why she likes it so much.
posted by waving at 9:22 PM on April 2, 2020


I'm apparently closest to Abed Nadir and Willow Rosenberg, which are both pretty accurate, but the clods who created this test didn't include Peridot from Steven Universe, who would probably be even closer to me.
posted by creepygirl at 9:22 PM on April 2, 2020 [5 favorites]


Brandon Stark (great, guess I'll go possess a crow or something)
Odo (DS9): hmm, not entirely wrong
Angela (The Office): oh fuck you quiz
MCU: Bruce Banner? OK, I'm kind of always angry, I guess
Simpsons: Waylon Smithers--?
Star Wars: Threepio?
Breaking Bad: Gus Fring? Scary but kind of awesome-scary
LotR: Gandalf, awesome!
Community: Abed. Cool. Cool cool cool
The Wire: Prez. Fuck you quiz
The Dark Knight: Lucius Fox. Mmm-hmm.
Twin Peaks: Dale Cooper. awesome!

In conclusion: I am a land of contrasts. Also: no Rick and Morty? Also too, my #2 for the MCU is Doctor Strange, who I think suits me a bit better.
posted by Halloween Jack at 9:23 PM on April 2, 2020 [2 favorites]


I did the full 121 questions and got Raj from the Big Bang Theory. Which, frankly, I am insulted by, but also a bit aghast due to how it's a 69% match (is this... a joke...) and how when I did like the show Raj was far and away my favorite character and I was desperate for focus on him and his development (not happy how they took it, of course, but I stopped watching far before that.)

Needs more Daria. I've never been compared to a character more.
posted by Mizu at 9:27 PM on April 2, 2020 [3 favorites]


Apparently I'm similar to Filius Flitwick or Ned Pearson. Hmm.
posted by PennD at 9:29 PM on April 2, 2020 [1 favorite]


This is comically bullshit psychology, obviously, but to me the interesting thing is how closely it approximates the kind of expensive psychometric online quizzes that government departments and major firms actually use in HR. I would find it completely plausible the next time (after all this [waves hands at the state of the world] is over) I apply for work I'll find my references being asked which Anchorman character I most closely resemble.
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 9:30 PM on April 2, 2020 [8 favorites]


1.) Marla Singer
2.) Britta Perry
3.) Omar Little

I'm eh about Marla, but happily imagining the kind of friendship Omar and Britta would have.
posted by moonlight on vermont at 9:32 PM on April 2, 2020 [2 favorites]


Simpsons: Milhouse
Parks and Rec: Ann Perkins
Firefly: Kaylee Frye

As much as I would like to think of myself as a Leslie or April, I'm really an Ann Perkins.
posted by later, paladudes at 9:34 PM on April 2, 2020


Everything's comin' up Milhouse! (And...Mr. Collins? Oh no.) (AND MOANING MYRTLE?)
posted by mittens at 9:35 PM on April 2, 2020 [3 favorites]


I got Abed Nadir. I feel like this is accurate, but also, I don't?
posted by traveler_ at 9:40 PM on April 2, 2020


Bruce Banner. Yay! Except I'm almost never angry so I don't get to enjoy the Hulk smash part :(
(or I guess watch out everyone since I'm never always angry)
posted by mephisjo at 9:46 PM on April 2, 2020


Howard Wolowitz 81%
Hoban Washburne 79%
Tony Stark 73%
Ziggy Sobotka 71%
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 9:46 PM on April 2, 2020


80% Willow Rosenburg. 76% Luna Lovegood. Confirmation that I am a witch!

I was taken aback at 75% Georgiana Darcy because, lbr, who doesn't want to be Elizabeth Bennet, but then I was like "eh, gets to be sisters-in-law with Lizzie and has lived all her life at Pemberley, so it all works out in the end..." but now I'm also convinced Georgiana is secretly a witch.
posted by paisley sheep at 9:52 PM on April 2, 2020 [8 favorites]


Mr. Burns (The Simpsons): 75%
Krusty the Clown (The Simpsons): 69%
Nelson Muntz (The Simpsons): 68%

Excellent.

*tents fingers, leans back in chair*
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 9:59 PM on April 2, 2020 [2 favorites]


Abed was my number one match, in the mid 80s. But I've only seen a few episodes of Community, so that wasn't particularly meaningful. Drs Gaius Baltar and Julian Bashir are in my top five, though, so that's cool?
posted by Godspeed.You!Black.Emperor.Penguin at 10:00 PM on April 2, 2020


I am among the apparently large number of mefites who came up with Abed from Community as my best match (85%), although I also got high scores for Willow from Buffy and Agent Cooper from Twin Peaks (81%) followed by too many characters I'm not familiar with - but tied for 7th at 77% is Hurley from Lost.
posted by oneswellfoop at 10:01 PM on April 2, 2020


Gaius Baltar. I’ll own that.

But I have a hard time meshing that Waylon Smithers.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 10:02 PM on April 2, 2020 [1 favorite]


I matched with Eric Forman from That 70’s Show, which I’ve barely seen. I remember him kinda being a gormless twit? If the shoe fits I guess...
posted by um at 10:03 PM on April 2, 2020 [1 favorite]


Lucius Fox - 87%
Glenn Rhea / Dr. Ellie Sattler - 83%
Jim Halpert - 82%
Gollum - 23%
posted by theory at 10:04 PM on April 2, 2020


Inara Serra 76%
Jake Sisko 75%
Lady Sybil Crawley 75%
Elizabeth Bennet 74%
Lisa Simpson 74%
Ilsa Lund 74%

I have never heard of Inara Serra, though I've heard of Firefly. I've never watched it. I'll have to look it up. I know there's a Jake Sisko on a Star Trek series, but I don't recall which one. He's a captain, right? Another one to look up. I know who the rest are, and I wish I were anywhere near as noble as Ilsa Lund (Casablanca), but that's why it's only 74%, I guess.
posted by droplet at 10:05 PM on April 2, 2020 [1 favorite]


Lisa was my highest Simpson at 73%. I did need braces.
posted by theory at 10:08 PM on April 2, 2020 [1 favorite]


The only character I recognise out of my top 5 closest matches is Garak from DS9, but I'm 100% happy with cherrypicking that result :D
posted by Mauve at 10:11 PM on April 2, 2020 [6 favorites]


Bruce Banner (Marvel Cinematic Universe): 85%
Remus Lupin (Harry Potter): 83%
Elizabeth Bennet (Pride and Prejudice): 82%
Bertram Gilfoyle (Silicon Valley): 81%
Nog (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine): 80%

Sure, I guess.
posted by dazed_one at 10:12 PM on April 2, 2020


Oh, and four out of my bottom five were characters from The Wire, which I'm only passingly familiar with. The implications are unclear to me.
posted by Godspeed.You!Black.Emperor.Penguin at 10:13 PM on April 2, 2020


Hey, turns out I'm one of the chickens next to the red wheelbarrow that so much depends on!

SO. ME.
posted by not_on_display at 10:14 PM on April 2, 2020 [8 favorites]


My top matches were Horace Slughorn, Bert Cooper, and Olenna Tyrell.
Watch yourselves, people. I’m repellent.
posted by janell at 10:16 PM on April 2, 2020 [1 favorite]


But also fabulous
posted by janell at 10:16 PM on April 2, 2020 [5 favorites]


Of the ones I recognized, my top 5 were:

Michael Scott 82%
Luna Lovegood 79%
Aang 79%
Tom Haverford 79%
Peregrin Took 78%

Tom Haverford was the most surprising one and Pippin was my favorite. Can't say I would have necessarily seen a connection between all of these characters, but apparently I am that connection. World's Best Fool of an Airbender!
posted by DingoMutt at 10:18 PM on April 2, 2020


I changed it just the West Wing universe and got Sam Seaborn and I'm happy with that. The top result was Leonard Hofstadter The Big Bang theory. And apparently I'm closest to C3PO. I want my money back.
posted by Foaf at 10:27 PM on April 2, 2020


Samwell Tarly (Game of Thrones): 85%
Leonard Hofstadter (The Big Bang Theory): 85%
Amy Farrah Fowler (The Big Bang Theory): 85%
Lucius Fox (The Dark Knight): 84%
Dr. Ellie Sattler (Jurassic Park): 84%
.
.
.
Jayne Cobb (Firefly + Serenity): 25%
Leland Palmer (Twin Peaks): 25%
Shane Walsh (The Walking Dead): 24%
Bobby Briggs (Twin Peaks): 24%
Theon Greyjoy (Game of Thrones): 23%
Gollum (Lord of the Rings): 23%
Mrs. Bennet (Pride and Prejudice): 22%
Myrtle Wilson (The Great Gatsby): 20%

Checks out!
posted by Emmy Noether at 10:31 PM on April 2, 2020 [1 favorite]


I'm apparently another Willow. I never watched Buffy, so I hope that's good? "Lesbian witch" sounds cool.
posted by zompist at 10:38 PM on April 2, 2020 [3 favorites]


I got Jadzia Dax at a 79% match which isn't wrong? #2 Nymphadora Tonks at 77% which also is pretty true.

I enjoyed it, thanks for the post. I did the full questionnaire.
posted by AlexiaSky at 10:42 PM on April 2, 2020 [4 favorites]


Peter Gregory 83%. I like this result as I also think aloud too much about Burger King and eat asparagus for the nutrients.
posted by michaelh at 10:44 PM on April 2, 2020


I feel seen, April Ludgate Parks & Rec.
posted by evilDoug at 10:45 PM on April 2, 2020 [2 favorites]


Julian Bashir/Jadzia Dax within margin of error (86% and 84%). I'm OK with that, though as far as I know I'm not a mind symbiote.
posted by bonehead at 11:00 PM on April 2, 2020 [3 favorites]


I also got Bruce Banner and that's ok.
posted by Justinian at 11:09 PM on April 2, 2020 [1 favorite]


Lester Freamon.

Can't be too disappointed with that.
posted by Sphinx at 11:16 PM on April 2, 2020 [3 favorites]


I'm going to keep on taking this test until I get Lester Freamon. It's fairly close already. Not sure about the quality of the profiles though. The people are unsure if he is genuine or sarcastic (stdev>30).
posted by ikalliom at 11:17 PM on April 2, 2020 [1 favorite]


I got Iroh from Last Airbender? Never watched it, but from a quick google he seems cool, I'll take it.
posted by drinkyclown at 11:30 PM on April 2, 2020 [1 favorite]


Iroh is the wise uncle to a very rash young man. He also gets one of the strongest emotional beats of the show: The Tale of Iroh (~4 minutes).
posted by bonehead at 11:46 PM on April 2, 2020 [2 favorites]


Filtering top 5 by the people I recognize:

Rust Cohle (True Detective): 81%
Theon Greyjoy (Game of Thrones): 79%
Sandor Clegane (Game of Thrones): 79%
Dwight Schrute (The Office): 79%
Jayne Cobb (Firefly + Serenity): 78%

... I'm honestly not sure if I'm insulted or not.
posted by Grimgrin at 11:51 PM on April 2, 2020


87% Samwell Tarly. The more I think about it, the better I feel about it.
posted by Graygorey at 11:52 PM on April 2, 2020 [1 favorite]


I got Paul Kinsey, which makes me feel seen.
posted by PinkMoose at 12:10 AM on April 3, 2020


Fucking Boromir was an option, and yet I got Chandler Bing? I am truly reassessing myself this night.
posted by deep thought sunstar at 12:15 AM on April 3, 2020 [7 favorites]


Mine reads like a who's who of "characters people consider to be vaguely on the autism spectrum" (with the weird exception of Sheldon Cooper who doesn't show up till #56) which, to be fair, tend generally to be characters with whom I identify deeply. Like a bunch of you I got Abed as #1.
posted by potrzebie at 12:21 AM on April 3, 2020 [4 favorites]


Woo, Jadzia Dax!
posted by BeeDo at 12:27 AM on April 3, 2020 [7 favorites]


Apparently Halloween Jack and I share a personality.

You can use it this week HJ, I don't have any plans that require it, just please, take your Del Taco wrappers out when you're done with it.

Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo version) was my closest match, and I have to say... nailed it.

If they included Doom Patrol I'd probably be Cliff, Niles, Larry, Rita and Jane.

Which I couldn't argue with.

I remember a lot less about The Matrix than I thought I did.
posted by under_petticoat_rule at 1:06 AM on April 3, 2020 [3 favorites]


84% Julian Bashir
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 1:11 AM on April 3, 2020 [1 favorite]


Toby Ziegler! I am surprised by how right that feels.

Didn't hurt that every time there was an "are you a fun playful kind of person or just a stone-cold sombre asshole" question I slid the slider right on down to the "stone-cold sombre asshole" end of the scale. I wasn't doing it for effect, that's just who I am.

Even funnier given I just filled in our staff survey on how remote working & wellbeing while WFH is going for everyone with comments along the lines of "everyone else wants to talk shit the first five minutes of a meeting to try and connect with one another but I hate it and I just want to get down the business and then get off this damn call, no offense to all of y'all."
posted by terretu at 1:13 AM on April 3, 2020 [3 favorites]


And my second-best match was Mr Darcy. I love how much this thing is picking up on my masculine, stone-cold sombre asshole energy.
posted by terretu at 1:14 AM on April 3, 2020 [1 favorite]


I, evidently, am not a person one makes shows or writes books about. I sit in the background and sometimes inadvertently aid or hinder the protagonist and/or their adversaries through revealing information or inaction. I tend not to attract even the need for definitive resolution of my life and actions, with only perhaps a somewhat perfunctory suggestion of having a final summarizing word or action on events that keeps me vaguely on the side of good over evil, while maintaining a sense of distance from the heart of the action. At best, in situations with limited sets of individuals, I'm the guy who sends others off to do the big stuff while I tend to observe events more from on far. Obviously I'm a big hit at parties.

I'm old, not particularly handsome, but not especially repulsive, usually of some means and comfort, without much descriptive life aside from when it intersects with the needs of the more ambitious and fated few who get the attention.

Horace Slugworth, Bert Cooper, Varys, Friar Laurence, Lester Freamon, Albus Dumbledore, Iroh, The Oracle, Nick Carraway, Toby Ziegler, Loki, Chandler Bing, and Rupert Giles consistently came up as some of the best matches in the different takings of the test, with Slugworth always on top, which only grates because I'm deeply averse to sweet talk and wouldn't have given away the horcrux information out of vanity tof feigned admiration, though out of a pleasure in discussing for its own sake to someone more cautious and reserved would be a possibility.
posted by gusottertrout at 1:21 AM on April 3, 2020 [1 favorite]


Top five for me:
Amy Farrah Fowler (The Big Bang Theory): 89%
Cristina Yang (Grey's Anatomy): 86%
Hermione Granger (Harry Potter): 85%
Toby Ziegler (The West Wing): 85%
Bruce Banner (Marvel Cinematic Universe): 85%

I felt most seen by the Toby Ziegler choice. I would feel even more seen if they included The Good Place because then I’d be Chidi for sure.

I did not put peeps in the chili we made yesterday, but that’s at least partially because we don’t have any peeps and I can’t leave the house to fix that.
posted by nat at 1:29 AM on April 3, 2020 [2 favorites]


Luna Lovegood. It checks out.
posted by mochapickle at 1:44 AM on April 3, 2020 [2 favorites]


I answered all 121 questions because of course did. They should include "short version vs long version of this test" as a character question and automatically include that in the calculation.

I envy those of you with high matches—mine top out at 69%. Here's my top and bottom 15:

Bruce Banner: 69% — That... seems correct.
Julian Bashir: 68% — Not thrilled with this, but yeah.
Lisa Simpson: 68% — I mean, of course!
Amy Farrah Fowler: 68% — Never watched the show.
Abed Nadir: 68% — Okay. Would prefer Annie.
Willow Rosenberg: 68% — I identify so strongly with Willow.
Tyrion Lannister: 67% — Should have seen that one coming.
Samwell Tarly: 67% — Him, too.
Filius Flitwick: 67% — He was in several of the books.
Lester Freamon: 67% — In my dreams.
Lucius Fox: 67% — Not a surprise.
Hermione Granger: 66% — Can I just be her?
Remus Lupin: 66% — Meh.
Jadzia Dax: 66% — I wish.
Bernard Lowe: 66% — Pretty much how I watch the show.
.
.
.
George Wickham: 38% — True.
Boromir: 38% — That guy.
Preston 'Bodie' Broadus: 38% — Legit.
Myrtle Wilson: 38% — Never read this.
Theon Greyjoy: 37% — Thank god.
Merle Dixon: 37% — Fun to watch, though.
Joey Quinn: 37% — I'm definitely not getting skinny.
Tom Buchanan: 37% — See above.
Bobby Briggs: 36% — I admit to not watching this.
Nelson Muntz: 35% — Whew.
Marty Hart: 35% — Yep.
Shane Walsh: 35% — Fuck that guy.
Jayne Cobb: 34% — ...and the actor who plays him.
Thomas 'Herc' Hauk: 32% — Nails on chalkboard.
Nick Sobotka: 32% — *sad trumbone*

posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 1:49 AM on April 3, 2020


This quiz made me realize I always thought I was the Timon but I'm the fucking Pumbaa
posted by taquito sunrise at 2:10 AM on April 3, 2020 [4 favorites]


Willow Rosenberg and Kaylee Frye. I'll take that!
posted by astapasta24 at 2:20 AM on April 3, 2020 [2 favorites]


I am apparently the Nurse from Romeo and Juliet, 81%.

That's cool, right?
posted by Martha My Dear Prudence at 2:23 AM on April 3, 2020 [3 favorites]


I'm only commenting here so that the other person who matched River Tam doesn't feel so alone.
posted by amtho at 2:46 AM on April 3, 2020 [3 favorites]


Milhouse Van Houten (The Simpsons): 88%
Nick Carraway (The Great Gatsby): 88%
Dale Horvath (The Walking Dead): 86%
Samwell Tarly (Game of Thrones): 85%


I don't know the Walking Dead but I guess I'm the nerdy best friend.
posted by octothorpe at 3:14 AM on April 3, 2020


Dr Ian Malcolm from Jurassic Park.
posted by eyeofthetiger at 3:16 AM on April 3, 2020 [1 favorite]


Cool Lester Smooth at 83%; Charlie Young (West Wing), Obi-Wan, Reverend Book, Alfred (Batman), Lucius Fox (Batman), and Giles all tied at 79%; Norman from the Wire at 78%. Feels pretty close.
posted by LionIndex at 3:18 AM on April 3, 2020 [1 favorite]


Tony Stark (85%) is my top match which...ok. I’m obviously so intelligent I closed the website before grabbing the rest of my matches.
posted by Young Kullervo at 3:43 AM on April 3, 2020 [1 favorite]


I got Donna from That 70s Show. I'll take it.
posted by saladin at 3:51 AM on April 3, 2020


Luna Lovegood by a fairly wide margin. I am pleased. The absolute bottom match was Petunia Dursley.
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 4:17 AM on April 3, 2020 [3 favorites]


I got no answers at all. Nothing using either the Pearson scale or mean approaches. Nothing for any of the shows. Just nothing at all. 😿
posted by carmicha at 4:27 AM on April 3, 2020 [1 favorite]


I'm 69% Dale Cooper, I'll hang out to that because I've never watched The Big Bang theory and I don't think I would like Leonard Hofdstatgjdhjeygd.
posted by SageLeVoid at 4:28 AM on April 3, 2020


I got:
1. Varys (Game of Thrones): 81%
2. Elim Garak (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine): 81%
3. Lester Freamon (The Wire): 81%
4. Tyrion Lannister (Game of Thrones): 80%
5. Olenna Tyrell (Game of Thrones): 78%
6. Inara Serra (Firefly + Serenity): 78%
7. Black Widow (Marvel Cinematic Universe): 77%
8. Gandalf (Lord of the Rings): 77%
9. Norman Wilson (The Wire): 77%
10. Robert Ford (Westworld): 77%

This is by far the best and most accurate personality quiz I've ever done, thanks for posting!
posted by lucidium at 4:33 AM on April 3, 2020 [2 favorites]


Nymphadora Tonks (82%) which will come as a surprise to nobody.

Very fun and thorough. As far as being paranoid about answering this, I certainly wouldn't want to meet the person Google thinks I am in a dark alley.
posted by louche mustachio at 4:34 AM on April 3, 2020 [1 favorite]


Gandalf, Dumbledore, Dr. Strange, Obi-wan, Rick Blaine, the Joker: clearly I'm underemployed.
posted by jwhite1979 at 4:36 AM on April 3, 2020 [1 favorite]


I'm a bit freaked out by the questions at the end when they explore your familiarity with a media creation they give you a chance to name. I chose Matrix and got some weird questions about the attributes of the characters of colour none of which I would ever dream of attributing to them. What are the quizmakers scanning for here actually.

Yup. That's put me right off.
posted by glasseyes at 4:38 AM on April 3, 2020 [3 favorites]


Skipping the shows I've never watched, which is honestly most of them, apparently I'm 77% like Willow and 73% like Luna Lovegood and Milhouse. I'll take it.
posted by Foosnark at 4:45 AM on April 3, 2020


I'm oblivious to Harry Potter, so Remus Lupin makes no sense, but I can get with David Thewliss.
posted by carter at 4:51 AM on April 3, 2020


The end quiz had me choosing between Star Gate's T'ealc as "rich or poor" and the doctor character as "llbertarian or socialist". I too wonder what they're actually testing for.

Of the top ten I recognized was #1 @ 83% Jeff Goldblum's character in Jurassic Park, Sherlock @ 78%, and Gandalf and Willow both at 75%. And I agreed that the bottom 200 were very much not me.

Feels like they need a wider universe of characters to me.
posted by lothar at 4:53 AM on April 3, 2020 [1 favorite]


Albus Dumbledore (Harry Potter): 86% …yeah, I see it
Varys (Game of Thrones): 85% …yeah, I deffffinitely see it
Peter Gregory (Silicon Valley): 83% …oof
Brandon Stark (Game of Thrones): 82% …yeah. yeah.
Dr. Strange (Marvel Cinematic Universe): 82% …I mean, kind of, I guess?
Abed Nadir (Community): 79% …well, I'm on MetaFilter, so
Lisa Simpson (The Simpsons): 78% … "
Gandalf (Lord of the Rings): 75% …see also Dumbledore
Sheldon Cooper (The Big Bang Theory): 75% …9_9
Tyrion Lannister (Game of Thrones): 74% …yyyeah
Julian Bashir (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine): 74% …higher than Garak? -_-
Mycroft Holmes (Sherlock): 74% …hah! OK.
Willow Rosenberg (Buffy the Vampire Slayer): 73%
Rupert Giles (Buffy the Vampire Slayer): 73%
Elim Garak (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine): 72%

Jayne Cobb (Firefly + Serenity): 24% …whew.
posted by CheesesOfBrazil at 4:55 AM on April 3, 2020 [2 favorites]


I got 3 characters from the West Wing for my top 3, but then I got Jadzia Dax as number 4 and that is who I am going to go with from now on!!!

Edit: actually, if I go fandom by fandom I get really good characters. This makes me so happy. Thank you for sharing this quiz!
posted by Kitchen Witch at 4:56 AM on April 3, 2020


Um. I got Gus Fring from Breaking Bad. Should I be concerned? (Lester Freamon from The Wire if I select that, which I’m okay with...)
posted by jzb at 4:59 AM on April 3, 2020 [1 favorite]


I am 68% Toby Zeigler, which isn't a high percentage but I like it.
posted by aclevername at 5:02 AM on April 3, 2020 [1 favorite]


The end quiz had me choosing between Star Gate's T'ealc as 'rich or poor' and the doctor character as 'llbertarian or socialist'. I too wonder what they're actually testing for.

They've got a big list of traits that they initially asked volunteers to answer about these characters. Where they have fewer responses, they're asking people who've taken the quiz to fill in the gaps. I don't think they are hand-picking either the characters or the traits they ask about — it's automated based upon the shows/characters they have fewer responses about and which you say you are familiar with; then presumably also the traits that they've gotten fewer answers for. They're just trying to get the most data for the most characters.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 5:02 AM on April 3, 2020 [2 favorites]


I'm a bit freaked out by the questions at the end when they explore your familiarity with a media creation they give you a chance to name. I chose Matrix and got some weird questions about the attributes of the characters of colour none of which I would ever dream of attributing to them. What are the quizmakers scanning for here actually.

Yup. That's put me right off.


I had the Hunger Games and the questions also felt a little... pointed.
posted by geegollygosh at 5:05 AM on April 3, 2020 [1 favorite]


Where does Victor Laszlo fall on this spectrum? [orange] ... [purple]

A tortoise? What's that?
posted by pracowity at 5:15 AM on April 3, 2020 [1 favorite]


Jadzia Dax (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine): 82%
Julian Bashir (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine): 80%
Glenn Rhee (The Walking Dead): 80%
Nick Young (Crazy Rich Asians): 80%
Jim Halpert (The Office): 79%
Lucius Fox (The Dark Knight): 79%
Benjamin Sisko (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine): 78%
Black Panther (Marvel Cinematic Universe): 78%
Derek Shepherd (Grey's Anatomy): 78%
Colin Khoo (Crazy Rich Asians): 78%

I'm going to feel pretty good about that!
My usual go to is down in 18th place at 75% (Wash - Firefly).
posted by meinvt at 5:37 AM on April 3, 2020 [1 favorite]


No one else yet has commented about the fiddly annoyance of having to pick integer percentage points from 1 - 100 with a slider? Well, I made it 3 questions in before I said fuck all this, too tedious (ft;tt). What does it even mean if I'm 72% loyal vs 76% loyal? I would have been much more likely to complete this if they'd just done a more standard 5 point radio button system, i.e. very loyal - somewhat loyal - neutral - somewhat treacherous - very treacherous.

But then I hate this kind of TV anyway so it's' probably for the best.

I'd have been all-in if it was anime.

be the yuri you want to see in the world
posted by glonous keming at 5:53 AM on April 3, 2020 [1 favorite]


Bruce Banner, Obi-Wan and Friar Lawrence, all over 85%. A little further down were Alfred, Watson, Lester Freamon and Frodo. I can’t complain.

I don’t know what to make of a 71% match with both Neo and Ross Peacock.
posted by jon1270 at 5:56 AM on April 3, 2020


....how did I get this many Lannisters?
posted by The Whelk at 6:07 AM on April 3, 2020


I am not sure what to make of the fact that three of my top five were from Big Bang Theory, and one of the other ones was from Silicon Valley. Are you calling me a nerd, personality quiz? I am definitely a nerd. Number 4 was Willow from Buffy, which is fine by me. My main takeaway is that I mostly resemble characters from shows that I don't watch.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 6:12 AM on April 3, 2020


I'm the opposite of Lydia Bennet.
posted by pracowity at 6:18 AM on April 3, 2020


Bruce Banner or Iroh from The Last Airbender. Perceptive.

And it was really hilarious answering personality questions about the Avatar characters. Fire Lord Ozai: democratic --- authoritarian. Let me think...
posted by SPrintF at 6:19 AM on April 3, 2020


My top was Dr. Ellie Sattler (Jurassic Park) at 84%, which at first was disappointing but over time I started to think, "She is a pretty great character trapped in a poor script with some bad directing" and came around to appreciating the match. Gandalf was my next recognizable match at 80%, also uplifting.
posted by Walleye at 6:25 AM on April 3, 2020 [1 favorite]


83% Chandler Bing. I...am oddly OK with this.
posted by wellred at 6:37 AM on April 3, 2020 [2 favorites]


Vince Masuka (Dexter): 85%
Howard Wolowitz (The Big Bang Theory): 84%
Abed Nadir (Community): 83%

Well that isn't what I expected. Can't figure out in what possible way I'm like Howard except that I'm a weird nerd I guess?

Also weird that my top ten are all men, despite describing myself as pretty feminine.
posted by stillnocturnal at 6:39 AM on April 3, 2020


If we're allowed to pick though,
Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jurassic Park): 81%
I can definitely live with that.
posted by stillnocturnal at 6:45 AM on April 3, 2020 [1 favorite]


I got Detective Munch, with a 76% match, and I'm utterly and totally okay with that. Honored, even.
posted by Ghidorah at 6:48 AM on April 3, 2020


I'm eh about Marla, but happily imagining the kind of friendship Omar and Britta would have.

Watch season 3 of Community, and find out! Sort of...

Also, I took the test with no regrets, but the lack of an IRB statement has me wondering what the actual source of this research is.
posted by codacorolla at 7:02 AM on April 3, 2020 [1 favorite]


I like the MCU Bruce Banner so I'm fine with that. The others seem plausible (apart from Bernard Lowe, I haven't seen Westworld).

Bruce Banner (Marvel Cinematic Universe): 89%
Leonard Hofstadter (The Big Bang Theory): 86%
Amy Farrah Fowler (The Big Bang Theory): 86%
Bernard Lowe (Westworld): 85%
Lucius Fox (The Dark Knight): 85%
posted by antiwiggle at 7:03 AM on April 3, 2020 [1 favorite]


The optional questions were almost more interesting than the quiz itself. Is Garak from DS9 cosmopolitan or provincial? Is Jadzia Dax spicy or mild?
posted by fiercekitten at 7:11 AM on April 3, 2020


I knew I was Julian Bashir this whole time.
posted by OnTheLastCastle at 7:23 AM on April 3, 2020


Ellie Sattler 80%.

I'll take it.
posted by gaspode at 7:25 AM on April 3, 2020


I am least like Worf (20%), and that's all that matters.
posted by grumpybear69 at 7:31 AM on April 3, 2020 [1 favorite]


No one else yet has commented about the fiddly annoyance of having to pick integer percentage points from 1 - 100 with a slider?

Eh, I just clicked somewhere vaguely I thought was right. It's only as fiddly as you want it to be.

I got Bruce Banner, but I'm convinced that's only because they didn't have Ben Wyatt in the Parks and Rec lineup. Which, how are you gonna have Brendanawicz and not have Ben or Chris Traeger? Pretty sure both Adam Scott and Rob Lowe ended up being on the show longer than Paul Schneider was.
posted by solotoro at 7:39 AM on April 3, 2020 [1 favorite]


It said I'm John Munch

Which, yeah, I can see that
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 7:41 AM on April 3, 2020


The long version gave me this top 5:

Julian Bashir (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine): 78%
Sam Seaborn (The West Wing): 77%
Lisa Simpson (The Simpsons): 77%
Willow Rosenberg (Buffy the Vampire Slayer): 76%
Donna Moss (The West Wing): 75%

I've never watched DS9 but the rest is pretty fantastic.
posted by wellred at 7:44 AM on April 3, 2020 [1 favorite]


That was fun. I don't argue with my highest match (Lisa Simpson at 90%), and I like several of my others (Lester Freamon from The Wire and Scully from the X-Files come to mind; I didn't save the results and I now wish I had).
posted by dlugoczaj at 7:46 AM on April 3, 2020


In the optional survey I had to rate Lord Voldemort on a scale from Nerd to Jock.
posted by mbrubeck at 7:50 AM on April 3, 2020 [4 favorites]


I got Ian Malcolm from Jurassic Park and am already lying on a sheepskin rug with my shirt half unbuttoned.

Next Zoom call is going to be EPIC.
posted by citands at 7:51 AM on April 3, 2020 [6 favorites]


I got 82% Willow from Buffy, but I've never seen that show, so 79% Leonard from Big Bang Theory, and I have seen that show, and "no", not even close.

Then 72% Obi Wan Kenobi, who in the decent Star Wars is a whiny information hider, so that's not me either. Also just checking individual points, but Obi Wan is rated at 48% for "Ivory tower vs blue collar" and he literally belongs to an order chosen at birth. No wonder GW Bush chopped wood. 5 minutes of labor makes you blue collar. Trump should go chop some wood to raise his Republican score to the max.
posted by The_Vegetables at 7:58 AM on April 3, 2020


It said I'm John Munch

So does this mean we have to fight to the death? Like, swords at dawn, or withering sarcasm whenever we wake up in the afternoon?
posted by Ghidorah at 8:07 AM on April 3, 2020 [1 favorite]


So does this mean we have to fight to the death? Like, swords at dawn, or withering sarcasm whenever we wake up in the afternoon?

I've decided you're just a hallucination brought on by all the fluoride in my municipal water
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 8:21 AM on April 3, 2020 [2 favorites]


Why is it telling me I am most like a character from a series I have never watched and have no idea who is? I manifestly did NOT check Firefly.
posted by Pembquist at 8:22 AM on April 3, 2020


I envy those of you with high matches—mine top out at 69%. Here's my top and bottom 15:

My range was also pretty limited (32% for Shane from the Walking Dead to 73% for Willow Rosenberg). I'm assuming it's because I chose midway on the spectrum for a lot of questions, and that gives the quiz less to work with.

I tried the short and the long version, but the top results were mostly the same. (So I guess I'd recommend everyone do the short version!) Weirdly, I got Varys and Inara Serra in my top 5 both times...I'm assuming because I answered honestly that I like nice things and the quiz interpreted that as being into fancy spycraft prostitution.
posted by grandiloquiet at 8:22 AM on April 3, 2020 [1 favorite]


I posted my relevant matches on Facebook and one of my friends said, "Yeah, this tracks."

Leslie Knope
Lisa Simpson
Hermione Granger
Pam Beesly
Peggy Carter
Princess Leia
Katara
CJ Cregg
Elizabeth Bennett
Willow Rosenberg
Legolas
Inara Serra
Abed Nadir
John Watson
Monica Geller
posted by cooker girl at 8:34 AM on April 3, 2020 [3 favorites]


Wait, wait, hold on.

How can this possibly be valid without the inclusion of Deadwood!?

I mean, with a little luck, I’d top out at Charlie Utter, but I lack any sort of luck, so I’d probably end up as Farnum.
posted by Ghidorah at 8:36 AM on April 3, 2020 [4 favorites]


Surely this is Cambridge Analytica's latest roll-out.
posted by humboldt32 at 9:14 AM on April 3, 2020 [1 favorite]


I got an 87% match for Lisa Simpson. My younger brothers figured this out 25 years ago.
posted by Maarika at 9:15 AM on April 3, 2020 [1 favorite]


I got 91% for PRINCESS LEIA! My inner nine-year-old is so very happy. Joey Lucas from TWW was #2.
posted by dancing_angel at 9:22 AM on April 3, 2020 [5 favorites]


Apparently, I am Professor Ian Duncan, the John Oliver character from Community. Which is right, even if I don't want it to be right.
posted by kewb at 9:30 AM on April 3, 2020 [1 favorite]


Apparently I'm Snape, Nick Fury, Gus Fring, and Lisa Simpson. [fakes his own death to start a meth empire and play bitter mournful songs on the saxophone]
posted by johnofjack at 9:46 AM on April 3, 2020 [1 favorite]


Dale Cooper. So, where is my paper bag, with the severed ear?
posted by Oyéah at 9:47 AM on April 3, 2020


Janis Ian (Mean Girls): 78%
Tyrion Lannister (Game of Thrones): 76%
Jane Margolis (Breaking Bad): 75%
Stan Rizzo (Mad Men): 75%
Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jurassic Park): 75%

All those track save the first...guess I'll have to watch Mean Girls.
posted by Token Meme at 10:13 AM on April 3, 2020


I'm oddly pleased I got Lucious Fox and Lester Freeman. Evidently, my inner-self is a very cool older black man.
posted by elwoodwiles at 10:15 AM on April 3, 2020 [1 favorite]


I got a character from Mad Men (Sal Romano). I am super disappointed because I cannot fucking stand Mad Men and thus cannot verify the 91% accuracy of this.
posted by jenfullmoon at 11:05 AM on April 3, 2020


I guess I'm pop culturally out of it as I don't even know who most of these characters are... When I saw "fictional characters" I assumed fiction, as in literature. Years ago, one of these dumb "who are you" internet things said I was a Bernese Mountain Dog, which I understand versus best match with some guy on some show called Stargate, which I've never seen nor care to watch. I'll go back to yelling at people on my lawn now.
posted by njohnson23 at 11:09 AM on April 3, 2020


I'm not 100% sure but I think the optional 'rate these characters on weird arbitrary scales' questions at the end are how they build, or at least refine, the dataset that the entire thing is based on.
posted by Two unicycles and some duct tape at 11:22 AM on April 3, 2020 [1 favorite]


Ugh, I'm the Dean from Community. It can sense my overwhelming gayness through the computer, I guess.

"Can I be perfectly honest with you guys? I think I went too far with this one. I have to go to the bank today. What am I supposed to tell people in line? I had good news and bad news? Come on, Craig. Get your life together."
posted by zeusianfog at 11:26 AM on April 3, 2020 [1 favorite]


very excited to announce 82% craig pelton aka The Dean from community !! gender fuckery, petty schemes, sexual longing, bald head
posted by allymusiqua at 11:29 AM on April 3, 2020 [3 favorites]


Howard Wolowitz (The Big Bang Theory): 85%
Ian Duncan (Community): 84%
Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jurassic Park): 84%
Chandler Bing (Friends): 82%
Abed Nadir (Community): 82%
Vince Masuka (Dexter): 82%
Gaius Baltar (Battlestar Galactica): 81%
Sherlock Holmes (Sherlock): 81%
Peter Gregory (Silicon Valley): 79%
Quark (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine): 78%
Richard Hendricks (Silicon Valley): 78%
Tyrion Lannister (Game of Thrones): 77%
Horace Slughorn (Harry Potter): 77%
Josh Lyman (The West Wing): 77%
Elim Garak (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine): 77%
15 lines down before I get someone I'd like to think of myself as similar to rather than someone I'm afraid I look like to other people. (To be fair, I haven't actually heard of half of the entries, so maybe I'm missing something good.)

Every wedding table guest who responds to my answer to "what do you do" with a Big Bang Theory reference that I don't understand is, sadly, justified by this algorithm.
posted by eotvos at 11:37 AM on April 3, 2020


Apparently I’m Jay Gatsby. Jay Gatsby! As if the past few weeks hadn’t been full enough of anxious rumination.
posted by HandfulOfDust at 11:48 AM on April 3, 2020 [1 favorite]


Donna Hayward (Twin Peaks): 77%
Margaery Tyrell (Game of Thrones): 75%
Lady Edith Crawley (Downton Abbey): 75%
Tyrion Lannister (Game of Thrones): 74%
Elizabeth Bennet (Pride and Prejudice): 74%
Meredith Grey (Grey's Anatomy): 74%
Rachel Menken (Mad Men): 74%
Jordan Baker (The Great Gatsby): 74%
Varys (Game of Thrones): 73%
Salvatore Romano (Mad Men): 73%

Ok.
posted by rdnnyc at 12:01 PM on April 3, 2020 [1 favorite]


No one else yet has commented about the fiddly annoyance of having to pick integer percentage points from 1 - 100 with a slider?

Yup. Not so much the complaints you mentioned but:
(i) Often the comparisons had very loaded descriptive words where one had a positive connotation and the other had a negative connotation.
(ii) Wtf with the binaries? You can be intellectual or physical but not both? Scientific or artistic as if those are opposites? This is the major problem with almost all personality tests, of course.

So, yeah, bullshit survey design, and not particularly fun to take.
posted by eviemath at 12:06 PM on April 3, 2020 [3 favorites]


Top 5 matches I recognize:

Carrie Bradshaw (Sex and the City): 85%
Oberyn Martell (Game of Thrones): 82%
Nymphadora Tonks (Harry Potter): 82%
Jack Sparrow (Pirates of the Caribbean): 80%
Lady Sybil Crawley (Downton Abbey): 79%

I am genuinely unsure what the uniting factor is here. Saucy and will fuck you up?
posted by corb at 12:18 PM on April 3, 2020 [2 favorites]


On the long form, I challenge the assertion that "hipster" and "basic" are on opposite ends of a spectrum.
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 12:19 PM on April 3, 2020 [3 favorites]


I got a tie between Varys and Richard Hendricks.

'tis a fair cop.
posted by lon_star at 12:22 PM on April 3, 2020


I'm short, I'm a smart-ass and I drink too much. And I killed my father with a crossbow. But he totally deserved it!
posted by valkane at 12:39 PM on April 3, 2020 [1 favorite]


So which of the articles using this dataset seems the most interesting and/or effective for computational propaganda?
posted by anthill at 1:07 PM on April 3, 2020


It’s a little weird that Deep Space Nine is the only Trek they include. I have nothing against DS9, but there are other Trek series with more widely-known characters, and all of them have a wide variety of personalities on display.

anthill, the character quiz responses are not one of the data sets that are openly available.
posted by mbrubeck at 1:14 PM on April 3, 2020


I wanted to be Elizabeth Bennet, so I tried to answer all the questions as if I was her. But I got matched with Jules from Superbad, who I have never heard of. Is she like Elizabeth Bennet?
posted by Transl3y at 2:05 PM on April 3, 2020


Didn't finish it, after only 10 questions I've already thought “but those aren't really mutually exclusive” a few times.
posted by farlukar at 2:16 PM on April 3, 2020 [2 favorites]


I'm pretty sure no one has the "what SaTC character are you" conversation any more but, well, I finally know the answer and it's Steve.
posted by the cat's pyjamas at 2:16 PM on April 3, 2020


All this returned for me was my actual name, spelled backwards. One of the letters had a little goatee.
posted by maxwelton at 2:19 PM on April 3, 2020 [3 favorites]


Maybe I'm missing something, but it seems to me it doesn't really matter so much if the 2 choices aren't actually opposites or something since the survey doesn't ask you to make a binary choice. If you feel you have both qualities then you put the slider somewhere in the middle.
posted by Television Name at 2:46 PM on April 3, 2020 [2 favorites]


The Wire: Prez. Fuck you quiz

Hey, don't sleep on Prez. He has one of the most inspiring personal transformations in the show. The quiz is just telling you that you need to find what you're meant to be, and it's not a cop.
posted by Saxon Kane at 3:01 PM on April 3, 2020 [5 favorites]


Samantha Carter (Stargate SG-1): 90%
Julian Bashir (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine): 87%
Lisa Simpson (The Simpsons): 87%
Daniel Jackson (Stargate SG-1): 87%
Hermione Granger (Harry Potter): 86%

Oh fuck, I exist as a character to reign in an impulsive male protagonist.
posted by Eleven at 3:03 PM on April 3, 2020 [2 favorites]


And apparently I'm closest to C3PO. I want my money back.

Beep boop, hey join me over here on the couch (I got Samwell whatshisname and Lisa Simpson before the robot but they make sense at least... kinda!)
posted by jessamyn at 3:14 PM on April 3, 2020 [2 favorites]


My top five, and I'm not disappointed.

Julian Bashir (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine): 83%
Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jurassic Park): 82%
Jim Halpert (The Office): 81%
Tyrion Lannister (Game of Thrones): 80%
Abed Nadir (Community): 80%
posted by SonInLawOfSam at 3:16 PM on April 3, 2020 [2 favorites]


I did not want to get Slippin' Jimmy but I kind of knew I'd get Slippin' Jimmy or someone like him.
posted by East14thTaco at 4:28 PM on April 3, 2020 [1 favorite]


This test just showed me how much I hate myself, which is something I already knew.

Got c3po and Milhouse and Eric foreman. I’ve never been more convinced that there is nothing good in me.
posted by vocivi at 4:54 PM on April 3, 2020 [1 favorite]


Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jurassic Park): 86%
Tyrion Lannister (Game of Thrones): 83%
Haymitch Abernathy (The Hunger Games): 83%
Steven Hyde (That 70's Show): 81%
Fox Mulder (The X-Files): 81%
Tony Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe): 79%
George Weasley (Harry Potter): 78%
Jadzia Dax (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine): 78%
Spike Spiegel (Cowboy Bebop): 78%
posted by some loser at 5:34 PM on April 3, 2020


Janis Ian from Mean Girls, which I have not seen. Then Nymphadora Tonks and River Tam.
posted by frumiousb at 6:49 PM on April 3, 2020


Am I the only person thrilled to get Dana Scully?!!?!

Also discovered that apparently Sam Seaborn, Simon Tam, and Ann Perkins are basically the same person.
posted by smb0626 at 7:07 PM on April 3, 2020 [1 favorite]


Cool! I got Arya Stark. I think thatsxa good match.
posted by WalkerWestridge at 9:06 PM on April 3, 2020


eviemath asked:

"Wtf with the binaries? You can be intellectual or physical but not both? Scientific or artistic as if those are opposites?"

followed by farlukar:

"Didn't finish it, after only 10 questions I've already thought 'but those aren't really mutually exclusive' a few times."

Television Name responded:

"Maybe I'm missing something, but it seems to me it doesn't really matter so much if the 2 choices aren't actually opposites or something since the survey doesn't ask you to make a binary choice. If you feel you have both qualities then you put the slider somewhere in the middle."

Right. These aren't necessarily opposing, mutually exclusive traits. It's just asking if one is more relatively apt than the other. If both exactly apply weakly or if both exactly apply strongly, in either case you'd leave the slider in the middle.

I'm sure there are good reason to construct it this way as opposed to asking you to rate each trait from 0 to 100. For one thing, it's more efficient: info on the same number of traits with half the questions. If individual traits appear in (initially) random pairs, with many answers you'd implicitly have compared them all to each other and actual oppositions would emerge. But, again, the comparison doesn't rely upon the traits being contrary, just that it is possible for a person to judge that one is (even) more or (even) less appropriate than the other.

Am I more brown-haired than I am talkative? Well,I'm mostly-grey now. Sometimes I'm very talkative, but I doubt many people would include that in their top ten words to describe me (my writing is a different matter). So, if I had to position a slider between the two, I'd leave it in the middle.

This isn't a personality typology quiz and therefore doesn't suffer from the defects personality typologies all do: which is that they are constructed typologies of inevitably dubious origin.

This test is essentially comparing different real people to each other and to fictional characters. There's no implicit theory of personality (excepting that it assumes stability and that fictional characters can be compared to real people). We do this all the time, saying this person is a lot like this other oerson or, conversely, that two people are nothing alike. There's nothing questionable about this other than what I mentioned parentheticay and, additionally, that fictional character trait affinities are produced by the opinions of many people familar with the characters while the self-assessments are both much more limited and biased.

So it's basically comparing your view of your own personality to the collective opinions of many people about the personalities of numerous fictional characters. That's relatively reasonable.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 9:16 PM on April 3, 2020 [3 favorites]


I answered the set of 120+ questions. Of the characters in the top 10 of my results whom I've heard of, I was happily surprised at #1:
1) Hoban Washburne (Firefly + Serenity): 80%
3) Arthur Weasley (Harry Potter): 78%
7) Pumbaa (The Lion King): 76%
8) Fogell (McLovin) (Superbad): 76%
9) Jim Halpert (The Office): 75%
Also at #10 was Ed (Cowboy Bebop): 75% — maybe I sould watch that sometime.

But YESSSSS ALAN TUDYK FTW
McLOVIN at #8 NOT BAD
posted by not_on_display at 9:31 PM on April 3, 2020 [1 favorite]


Ivan Fyodorovich, I submit that someone who is equally not at all brown-haired and not at all talkative would not be comparable to someone who is equally 100% brown-haired and 100% talkative, however. So I still don't see the use of the two-aspect slider for the stated purpose of the quiz.
posted by eviemath at 10:08 PM on April 3, 2020


They're comparable with regard to their balance between being brown-haired and talkative. As more terms are paired from all possible, how well any given two correlate to each other will become apparent. Collectively this will produce clusters of traits in some n-space that roughly describe each of these fictional characters and the individual test-takers.

Pre-determing which terms correlate and which don't introduces a built-in bias that otherwise wouldn't exist. Sure, those traits which are by definition in opposition are objectively known to have a -1 correlation — but therefore using both those traits in the test would be wholly redundant. All the other corelations between any two terms should be treated as unknown. That some don't correlate at all is itself information.

Again, all possible pairings taken collectively will give a best-fit dimensionality and therefore a means to measure relative distance between points and clusters of points.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 12:04 AM on April 4, 2020


So I took the short version of this while I was working (don't tell anyone), and the answer was Jared Dunn, from Silicon Valley, which I've never watched. I took the longer version this morning, and he doesn't show up in my results until #39, with an 81% match. I have lots of high matches, though. My top matches in the longer quiz, since we're all sharing, are:

1. Filius Flitwick - 87% I think this is because I answered really short on the short v. tall question.
2. Charlie Young - 87% Haven't watched West Wing in a long time, but this seems ok.
3. Sun-Hwa Kon - 87% Also good!
4. Billy from Battlestar Galactica - 87% I'm seeing a trusty assistant trend form here.
5. Cho Chang - 86% ok, don't remember that much about her.
6. Jane Bennett - 86% Yay! I love Jane!
7. Alfred Pennyworth - 86% - Trusty assistant!
8. Dana Scully - 86% - Fuck, yeah!
9. Janet Frasier - 86% - Hooray!
10. Lisa Simpson - 85% - I remain the only person on the planet who's never seen the Simpsons, but she seems rad from descriptions I've heard.

All in all, not a bad result. I wish Hermione were up there, but I've never really had her courage, so I'm not surprised at that one.
posted by backwards compatible at 7:12 AM on April 4, 2020


Ha!

Samantha Carter (Stargate SG-1): 89%
Amy Farrah Fowler (The Big Bang Theory): 87%
Dr. Ellie Sattler (Jurassic Park): 87%
Hermione Granger (Harry Potter): 85%
Janet Fraiser (Stargate SG-1): 84%
...
Midge Pinciotti (That 70's Show): 28%
Michael Kelso (That 70's Show): 27%
Myrtle Wilson (The Great Gatsby): 27%
Daisy Buchanan (The Great Gatsby): 26%
Gretchen Wieners (Mean Girls): 26%
posted by webwench at 7:27 AM on April 4, 2020 [1 favorite]


I got to #9 on my list before hitting someone I've heard of--Lester Freamon from The Wire. I can live with that.
posted by box at 8:11 AM on April 4, 2020 [1 favorite]


Spooky. I have a LOT in common with Peggy other than just the traits tested for, and her character was one of the main reasons I stuck with Mad Men.

Peggy Olson (Mad Men): 85%
River Tam (Firefly + Serenity): 82%
Elizabeth Bennet (Pride and Prejudice): 81%
Janis Ian (Mean Girls): 81%
Toby Ziegler (The West Wing): 80%
Lady Edith Crawley (Downton Abbey): 79%
Neo (The Matrix): 79%
Remus Lupin (Harry Potter): 78%
Mr. Darcy (Pride and Prejudice): 78%
Zuko (Avatar: The Last Airbender): 78%
posted by Sheydem-tants at 9:53 AM on April 4, 2020


Okay, so I've taken this test four times, and my top result always without fail ends up being Dr. Ian Malcolm.

Full match list
Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jurassic Park): 85%
Dr. Strange (Marvel Cinematic Universe): 80%
Abed Nadir (Community): 80%
Vince Masuka (Dexter): 80%
Sherlock Holmes (Sherlock): 80%
Albus Dumbledore (Harry Potter): 79%
Elim Garak (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine): 79%
Howard Wolowitz (The Big Bang Theory): 79%
Peter Gregory (Silicon Valley): 79%
Julian Bashir (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine): 78%
posted by Delia at 10:46 AM on April 4, 2020


Oooooh then I did the long test and got, Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice 71%, Peggy Olson on Mad Men 71%, Katniss Everdeen from Hunger Games 70% and Arya Stark GOT 69%. That does seem quite close .
posted by WalkerWestridge at 12:15 PM on April 4, 2020


> I am apparently 88% River Tam and I'm not entirely sure what to make of that result.
Don't worry! You'll be all right! I'll keep you safe!

(I got #1 Simon Tam, 94%.)
posted by Syllepsis at 1:06 PM on April 4, 2020 [1 favorite]


I literally had 16 femmes fatales (plus two Aidan Gillen characters) in my top 20, so I guess my self-concept is strong, at least. As a friend said when I posted the result on FB, "YOU ARE FANCY AND DANGEROUS TO ENRAGE."
posted by merriment at 1:15 PM on April 4, 2020 [4 favorites]


I feel slightly cheated that my top result was from a programme I've never heard of (Silicon Valley). But my lowest result was 22% George Wickham - pleased to be the anti-Wickham.
posted by paduasoy at 2:02 PM on April 4, 2020


Am... Am I the baddie?

Gaius Baltar (Battlestar Galactica): 90%
Loki (Marvel Cinematic Universe): 86%
Paul Kinsey (Mad Men): 85%
Leland Palmer (Twin Peaks): 84%
Melisandre (Game of Thrones): 83%
Robert California (The Office): 83%
Lord Voldemort (Harry Potter): 81%
Ian Duncan (Community): 81%
Petyr Baelish (Game of Thrones): 80%
Cersei Lannister (Game of Thrones): 80%
Robert Ford (Westworld): 80%
Gavin Belson (Silicon Valley): 80%
Benjamin Linus (LOST): 79%
Quark (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine): 79%
Lee Sizemore (Westworld): 79%
Joffrey Baratheon (Game of Thrones): 78%
Pierce Hawthorne (Community): 78%
Dennis Nedry (Jurassic Park): 78%
Jay Gatsby (The Great Gatsby): 78%
Horace Slughorn (Harry Potter): 77%

posted by robocop is bleeding at 7:50 PM on April 4, 2020 [5 favorites]


88% Arya Stark. BINGO!
posted by moneyjane at 10:42 PM on April 4, 2020 [2 favorites]


So..... Dexter, Bruce Banner, Toby Ziegler.

Umm, yeah.
posted by mce at 11:00 AM on April 5, 2020


I got Varys from game of thrones and looking through his trait profile I...can't say that it's wrong. So I guess that's a look into an alternate timeline for me.
posted by nakedmolerats at 10:23 AM on April 6, 2020


Apu from the Simpsons...I am ok with that.
posted by BozoBurgerBonanza at 11:59 AM on April 6, 2020


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