A Visitor's Guide to Mystic Falls - By Red Page 0,43
years old (younger than his stated age of 162).
Stefan stands approximately 5’10”. With a coif of stiff “James Dean” hair, a black leather jacket, and expensive designer pants, he resembles a rebellious—albeit wealthy and well-groomed—teenager from the 1950s. Other than an ornate ring he wears no jewelry. His build is athletic, with an emphasis on weightlifting; the thin black T-shirt he wears reveals clearly defined pectorals. Though Stefan is officially undead, he appears healthy.
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Mood, af ect, and interpersonal Characteristics It is sometimes difficult to even remember Stefan is a vampire. He presents initially as the vampire version of the pro-totypical “nice guy”: the soft-spoken, quarterback boyfriend you can take home to Mom and Dad. His manners and eye contact are excellent, and he has high social intelligence, including an aptitude for discerning what others want from him. He works hard to please those he deems worthy, including girlfriend Elena Gilbert and the other human inhabitants of Mystic Falls. Stefan’s classic expression is the furrowed brow, head tilted slightly to indicate he is focusing on what others are saying (though at times I observed what appears to be a slightly condescending smirk when speaking to those younger or less knowledgeable than himself).
Overall, Stefan appears to be emotionally healthy and well adjusted, with the notable exception of the weeks immediately following his ingestion of human blood at the end of hour seventeen (“Let the Right One In”). During this period, Stefan exhibits classic addictive behavior and uncontrolled mood swings, inappropriately shifting from state to state without appropriate stimuli. He presents as alternately suicidal (he refuses to eat, wishes he were dead) and homicidal (he stalks and drinks from a teen girl at the Miss Mystic Falls pageant). However, since there are no DSM1 criteria for the undead, determining an accurate diagnosis and course of 1 The DSM, or Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, is used as the psychiatric standard for the classification of mental disorders.
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action is difficult. For a human being, typical treatment would include committing Stefan to a psychiatric hospital for detoxification and for the safety of himself and others; this is in effect what his brother, Damon Salvatore, and Elena do when they imprison him in the Salvatore basement. While Stefan continues to exhibit strong feelings of guilt once clean, his self-control and previous disposition seem to have returned to normal.
analysis
I believe that beneath Stefan’s even-keeled exterior is an underlying tension surrounding his preoccupation with control. His need to control his own behavior—in particular his thirst for blood—seems to extend to his relationship with others. Much of Stefan’s guilt appears to stem from his inability to control Damon’s negative behaviors, and Stefan’s actions toward Elena, particularly in withholding information, demonstrate a desire to control their interactions. At this time, it is difficult to tell whether his distaste for human blood originated from the ethical implications of the act of taking it or from the impact on his self-control.
It is my observation that Stefan does not have a clear grasp on who he is. He knows who he wants to be—a hero, a “good guy,” in control—but though he works very hard to convince others that he is all these things, he does not appear able to convince himself. He exhibits a tendency toward overcompen-sation and perfectionism and has a difficult time forgiving himself for failing to live up to his own impossibly high standards.
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Damon Salvatore
Observations
appearance
Damon Salvatore is undeniably male, Caucasian, and like his brother appears younger than his stated age of nearly two centuries. Also like his brother, he is well groomed. He favors clothing that highlights his form; his height is comparable to his