And it's been too long since I sang this song for all the people I love best ∞ babylonwood

And I close my eyes as the fire dies,
For it's here that I belong,
In the warm embrace from a friendly face,
And the singing of this song.

The Player
User Name/Nick: Brandon
User LJ: wayitcomes
AIM/IM: neveronceperfect
E-mail: such.a.heart@gmail.com
Other Characters: N/A

The Character
Character Name: Stefan Salvatore
Character Journal: historyrepeater
Canon: The Vampire Diaries
Age: 162 years young! But, he looks like he’s in high school.
From When?: From 1x10, Turning Point after leaving Elena in the car. He doesn’t witness her declaration of love. He’s decided that he needs to leave. Too many people have gotten hurt and Elena is in constant danger because of him. He truly believes Elena is better off without him.

Abilities/Powers:

Because he is a vampire, Stefan (in this vampire incarnation) has:

∞ enhanced speed
∞ the ability to jump really high
∞ enhanced strength
∞ the ability to compel – erases a human’s memory or controls their mind
∞ the need for blood, requires it to live
∞ enhances sight, smell, taste, and especially hearing. He is shown overhearing conversations across a room
∞ when he vamps out, his eyes go black with reddish black veins protruding
∞ and the ability to be standing behind you. Unnoticed – they’re super quiet.

Because he is Stefan and a Salvatore he has:

∞ a ring that lets him walk in the sunlight

A more human ability is his cooking expertise. He’s an excellent cook. He’s also fantastic with dates. Give him an event, any event and he’ll provide the date. In fact, with history in general, he’s just that good. He hunts for his blood by killing rabbits and squirrels and other forest vermin. Because of this, he’s a good tracker.

Power Limitations: Considering his powers could hardly reshape or change the wood, I don’t see the need to really limit him. But, if you do, let me know what you’d like limited.

Inventory
1 black zip-hoodie
1 black v-neck t-shirt
1 pair of blue jeans
1 pair of black shoes
1 ring silver with a blue stone and the Salvatore family crest on it


Personality:

At his heart, Stefan is a very passionate, deep, empathetic person. He, like any good vampire, can brood with the best of them but he is a kind and pure soul. Emily, Katherine’s handmaiden tells him that pure soul will be his downfall. He is the polar opposite to his brother, Damon. Stefan is the benevolent of the too brothers. He wants to go on un-living without making a lot of noise. He likes living normally.

Stefan is also very good at keeping his emotions in check. He has a fantastic poker face when it comes to something that’s bothering him. Unlike his brother, he didn’t shut his feelings off. If anything, those feelings have intensified. He explains in the third episode of the second season how when becoming a vampire all of a person's traits are amplified. Stefan's guilt and empathy then amplifies after his transformation. As a human he was empathetic. When people suffered because of him in some way, he felt that guilt.

This is also plays into his fear. He has this wonderful skill of bringing anything that goes wrong down on his own shoulders. It's sort of a six degrees of misery a la Stefan. If Damon attacks someone he feels responsible because he can do something about it. He even tries to. In the fifth episode of the first season, "You're Undead to Me," he captures Damon using vervain. His plan is to weaken him enough to move him to the family crypt. In fifty years, he would reevaluate. But Damon escapes.

In another lifetime, at that time Katherine Pierce was his first love. Telling her he loved her was a big deal. He thought she loved him back and she does claim that she did. But, now, he believes he was compelled. He believes that the love he and Damon had for Katherine was a complete fabrication. And, he believes that Damon and he died for nothing when Katherine thinks they died for love.

Because of his brother, he can't help but feel guilt for Katherine's death as well. And for his and his brother's. Had he not gone to his father and vaguely advocated for vampires then they wouldn't have been shot. At this point in the series he's working to move on from that guilt.

Despite being the good brother, he still has a predatory, demonic side to him. He kills if he absolutely has to but he feels remorse. If he can, he explores all other avenues before violence when it comes to humans. When Vicki becomes a vampire he tries his best at keeping her safe but when she goes for Elena he has no choice but to intervene. If somebody else could be hurt, he doesn't hesitate.

Like any being, Stefan has a selfish side to him. A part of him knows that wanting a relationship with Elena in general is selfish. She could always be in some kind of danger because of what he is. In season 2, Elena breaks up with him after Jenna is hurt citing their selfishness. At this canon point, he's ready to give that all up.

Stefan is also selfless in a lot of ways. When Elena is kidnapped, he admits to Damon that dying for her is worth it. He doesn't have to be asked for help. If someone needs it, he's there.

Stefan is very protective. He's not just protective of the woman he loves but the people she loves as well. He fights to keep Caroline alive as a vampire because Elena wants him to. He keeps the fact that he's a vampire from her to protect her. He continuously keeps back information from his past in order to not hurt her. At this point in the series, she has no idea that Katherine looks exactly like her. She discovers that at the end of the episode.

Stefan is devoted to those he loves - romantically. He was devoted to Katherine and he is utterly devoted to Elena. Again, when Stefan is asked to spare Caroline's life, he does because Elena asks him to. He will do anything he can for her. For the greater good, he plans to leave her completely. He understands the idea, "if you love them, let them go."

Human blood is like a drug to Stefan He can’t ingest human blood without developing a taste for it. For years, he’s stuck to animals and vermin so even a drop would be a terrible thing. As a young vampire, he reveled in both his power and thirst for blood. Over time this mellowed out and he still feels guilt from those whose lives he ended.

Stefan is a fan of control. One of the reasons he is so reserved is his fear of losing that control he's worked so hard for. Control over both himself and his urges.

Stefan has spent lifetimes trying to figure out where he belongs. It's something he struggles with every day. Stefan is afraid of being himself because his true self has fangs and a taste for blood. But, beyond that, he never got to live. He spends life as a perpetual eighteen year old. In some ways he is very mature but in others, he's still a child and that's a side people never see.

Stefan is 162 years old. Because he was turned way back when, he is a gentleman through and through. He is genuine, polite nice. If he doesn’t have to be a dick, he won’t. That's not to say he can't wield a sarcastic sentence or two. He has quite the dry wit. He is quite chivalrous. He never pressures Elena into anything sexual at all. After this canon point, they do have sex because the moment is right. That’s not to say his urges aren’t there. He still was a man. When they are together he and Elena have a very healthy sexual relationship. When he gives into sexual urges, he can't help but transform. A part of him is ashamed of this and several times during a kiss he breaks it because of the emergence of his fangs.

Stefan never talks about it but he's ashamed of what he is. How could he ever be regarded as a real person? How could he ever be loved? The possibility of Elena seeing past that excites him.

A part of Stefan is always hopeful. An optimist of the future in his own right, he believes things will get better. He believes good things happen to good people but realistically knows bad things do as well. He believes in the good in his brother.

Which brings me to one of the obstacles in general for Stefan: Damon. Damon is his older brother but sometimes, it feels like Stefan is raising him – or at least is the older one. He loves his brother and he always will, whether he’s returning from the war as a Confederate soldier or snapping a girl’s neck. Damon blames him for Katherine's 'death' and he can't help that. He doesn't trust his brother and as I’ve said before, he fears what he’s capable of. Their relationship is borderline abusive from Damon's side. Before the series, he's checked in every ten years or so and made Stefan's life a living hell. Damon is a lit fuse ready to explode. At this point in the series, when it comes to Elena, Stefan doesn’t trust Damon with Elena, either. Unlike Damon, Stefan is content with living – as hard as that may be - and attempting to live a normal life.

He’s shown at the beginning of the series writing in a journal. Stefan says in the "Pilot" that if he doesn’t write memories down, he forgets them, that memories are important. Damon describes his journal as Emerson with a lot of adjectives. A part of Stefan is always searching and a part of that is his intellectual curiosity. He reads and views films and enjoys it. He studies for fun. He studies to gain knowledge and he is able to retain a wealth of information. As I mentioned in the history according to Damon, Stefan went Ivy League, enrolling in Harvard.

He’s extremely observant, keeping an eye on his surroundings at all times – including with his ears. In the second season, he admits to Caroline that he easily saw through her distraction at the Grill. He makes friends more easily than Damon and he is very loyal. But, because of his nature there’s a side that will always sleep with one eye open. A part of Stefan expects things to fall through, for his life to blow up in his face. Part of that is Damon's fault and part of that is what he has become. Some days he wonders if he deserves to be accepted and loved. If he could bring back every one he killed or if he could undo it - he would.

Despite this all, he isn't the wet rag he's being portrayed as here. He has a sense of humor and finds it easy to mock people in general. He views every day he's alive as a gift. Unlike his brother, he has embraced his future and lives life to the fullest. He loves pop culture and history and finds them both fascinating. He loves football, watching and playing. It brings back good memories. He's an extremely romantic person. When he wants to be, he can be very welcoming. He also has a mischievous Damon side to him because he's still a teenager. He likes to have fun unlike what Katherine claims. He knows how to have a good time. Both, Lexi, his best friend as a vampire, and Elena bring out the fun side of him.

History:

Stefan Salvatore was born in the year 1847 in Mystic Falls, Virginia. He has one older brother, Damon Salvatore. The first thing of note that happens in his life is the arrival of Katherine Pierce [who we later learn is Katerina Petrova], a vampire. Katherine, pretending to be an orphan from Atlanta, is taken in by the Salvatores and stays at their home. Immediately, Stefan is enthralled with the fiery woman. They develop an attraction and later on a sexual relationship. Unbeknownst to him, she strikes up a relationship with his brother Damon as well. …At the same time, the town rallies against the looming vampire threat.

Both Damon and Stefan learn Katherine is a vampire but they’re both in love with her and it doesn’t seem to be a problem for them. The brothers’ father, Giuseppe, tells them that the town plans to eradicate the vampire threat. He even questions Damon’s loyalty but Stefan defends Damon. Afterwards, Damon swears Stefan to secrecy about Katherine being a vampire.

In trying to confide in his father, Stefan foolishly believes that Giuseppe will accept his love with Katherine. Giuseppe tells his son that he will take his son’s secrets to the grave. Stefan then tries to convince his father that not all vampires are evil.

Later, when Katherine drinks from Stefan, she tastes vervain. From the vague conversation Giuseppe deduced it was Katherine who Stefan was speaking of. He bursts in and the town takes the weakened vampire to the church to burn with the rest.

Damon blames Stefan and a part of Stefan blames himself. Stefan distracts Jonathon Gilbert while Damon frees Katherine. Damon’s shot and killed. Stefan picks up a gun but he is shot as well. He wakes up later with Emily, Katherine’s handmaiden. He now has a ring on his finger which Katherine told her handmaiden to give to him. She explains that Katherine has been compelling him to drink vampire blood and that he is transitioning.

He confronts his father and the man confesses that he shot his own shots. Guiseppe attacks and Stefan accidentally stakes him. Bringing his bloody hands to his mouth, his father is disgusted and Stefan finishes his transition. Later, he pushes Damon to transition and encourages him to drink from a young woman. Damon promises his brother an eternity of misery.

After this, his pre-canon history blurs. It is mentioned that he was enrolled Harvard in the 70’s. He meets his best friend (of his life, likely) Lexi, a fellow vampire. There is mention of a Bono concert they once went to. What is important is that he mellows out and eventually begins to live on animal blood.

Every few years he returns to Mystic Falls to visit. On one such occasion he witnesses a car accident. The father refuses help until Stefan aides his daughter first. When he returns to the wreck the parents are long gone. The girl he saves, Elena Gilbert, is the spitting image of Katherine. From then on, he hangs around and essentially stalks her. He learns that she is nothing like Katherine and this intrigues him more. He enrolls in her high school to get to know her better.

Their attraction is mutual but he doesn’t approach her directly right away. He runs into her a few times (including outside the men’s room and in the graveyard). He returns Elena’s journal and she invites him to the Mystic Grill. There, he meets everyone (Matt, Caroline, Bonnie…). There, he’s informed of a party at the Falls. Back at the Salvatore Boarding House, Zach, a descendent of the Salvatore line and there to stop uninvited vampires from coming in, informs Stefan of mysterious deaths but Stefan assures him he has it under control. Stefan contradicts his teacher about casualties in “The Battle of Willow Creek”. At the boarding house, he comes face to face with his brother Damon. They fight and Damon succeeds in getting Stefan to show his vampire visage. Damon tells him not to mess with him again. Stefan attends the party at the Falls to find Elena. Caroline gets to him first but he gets away and tracks Elena down. Stefan visits her that night and asks if she’s okay. She tells him to ask her tomorrow.

Stefan overhears Matt say that Vicki told him a vampire attacked her. He goes to the hospital and compels her. He tries to slip out unnoticed but Matt sees him. Unbeknownst to Stefan, Damon tells Elena all about his “ex Katherine.” Stefan walks in on Elena and Damon. He asks her to leave. Damon accuses him of repeating history. Zach asks if Elena is worth it considering the danger Damon now poses. At the candlelight celebration, Stefan and Elena step away from everyone. She’s bothered by his past with Katherine and Stefan’s not mentioning his brother. Matt confronts Stefan and warns him that even though Matt’s not with Elena anymore, he’s looking out for her. Hearing Vicki’s screams, Stefan tracks her down to the roof where Damon is messing with her. Damon compels her to believe Stefan attacked her before compelling her again to make her think it was an “animal attack.” Matt thanks Stefan for finding Vicki. Elena arrives at the mansion and she and Stefan discuss what they would’ve written in their diaries. They kiss.

Stefan briefly joins the football team. Before the first game, Damon, in order to prove his lack of humanity, kills the teacher and coach. He writes in his diary that Damon must be stopped. Stefan learns Zach has secretly been growing vervain in the basement. On the dance floor at the Founder’s Ball, Stefan keeps mum about his past which frustrates Elena especially when Damon is so forthcoming. Knowing Damon has been feeding on her, Stefan spikes Caroline’s drink with vervain and captures Damon, locking him up in the Salvatore’s basement. He opens himself up to Elena by cooking her dinner, revealing truths about his ex Katherine and himself. He returns home to discover Zach dead (Damon had killed him) and leaves in order to stake his brother once and for all. But, Elena is on his doorstep wanting to know what he is.

Elena gives him one day to explain everything to her. Damon turns Vicki, her friend and brother’s sort-of girlfriend into a vampire. After being attacked with wooden bullets, the Salvatore brothers learn the town council knows vampires are back. Back at Elena’s house she tells Stefan they can never be together. Stefan tries to look after Vicki but knows a successful transition will take a lot of time because of her volatile nature and past drug use. At a party that night, Stefan stakes Vicki when she attacks Elena. Stefan’s best friend Lexi arrives to celebrate his birthday. Elena seems a little more receptive after a nudge from Lexi to which Stefan is grateful. Stefan and Elena spy Damon staking Lexi as a part of his “master plan” which ends up being, getting on the town council. He attacks Damon later on but spares his life because Damon spared his once. They “bond” and while playing football, Damon reveals he is in Mystic Falls to bring Katherine back. After she’s possessed by her ancestor, Emily, Damon attacks Bonnie but Stefan feeds her his blood to save her. Furious in general at being responsible for the people around him getting hurt, Stefan decides to leave town.

First Person Sample:

Not…really what I meant by leaving town. [ He stares down at the device before looking up, talking to - well, he hopes he's talking to someone. ] But, thanks for the kidnapping. Could you point me in the direction of anything at all? [ He rounds the clearing he's in. A part of him believes he's being watched. He knows he was taken for a reason. Just not how. He glances down at a dead deer at his feet. ] It was nice of you to provide food for the search but it’s getting old. [ He sighs. ] Never thought I’d say this but going back would be good, too. Going … anywhere else would be good.

Prose Sample:

It was over.

Katherine, a presence in his life even when he wasn’t around, was being shut away for good without blood, without people to manipulate and kill. Damon assured Stefan he could handle the passed out vampire bitch who ruined their lives and Stefan let him. A part of him knew there was closure here for Damon, too. This was good for him. It was a step in the direction towards humanity. When it came to his brother, he practically shoves him in the direction of humanity, morals – the right thing.

His next step would be to find Elena.

The Lockwood property was large. The party was breaking up. People were taking off their masks and revealing their true selves. Stefan weaved between the guests, briefly hearing a siren in the distance. He spotted Elena by the lake.

Finally, after all was said and done he and Elena could be happy. He made his way over to her. The moonlight painted her as this ethereal being. She had never looked more beautiful then she did at that moment – that was, until the next day. To Stefan, Elena became more beautiful with each passing day. He was in love with her and they could be together.

“Elena,” he said, crossing the bridge. He thought he could handle just walking but he couldn’t stop himself from breaking into a run to come to her side.

“I’m okay, I’m okay,” she assured him. “Bonnie took away the pain and I’m healing.” Her tone lacked enthusiasm and color. It lacked fire. She didn’t sound like a foe had been taken care of. She sounded like things hadn’t changed. And on the one hand, they hadn’t. He still cared for her safety more than anything. When he had found out hurting Katherine had affected Elena, Stefan had felt guilty. But, he and Damon had no way of knowing this and he knew Elena didn’t blame them. Still, he worried for her.

“I know. But, I think you should, you should definitely see a doctor, anyway.”

“I will, I will,” Elena said, her voice still emotionless. “I heard about Katherine. Is it true? Is she really gone?”

Stefan smiled as he replied with a, “Yeah.” This was it. They could resume where they left off. Elena sighed with what looked like relief and Stefan brought his hands to her cheeks. “I was so worried about you-”

“Stefan…” She had cut him off so quickly and her demeanor, her voice wasn’t changing. The tone, the pitch. “I…” She slowly pulled his hands down. Didn’t she didn’t want this? After everything? After Damon, the tomb vampires and now Katherine what was stopping them now? He realized in that moment what that expression meant. He looked away. Elena looked like she was trying to form sentences, words that made sense. But, this didn’t make sense to Stefan. “Katherine being gone doesn’t change anything for you, does it?”

“I want to be with you, Stefan. You know that.”

Did he? He felt like he did. They had exchanged ‘I love you’s’ and he was willing to die for her on more then one occasion. He trusted her with Damon (not the other way around) and they just…worked. He wanted to know what she was saying was the truth. And he did. It didn’t make it hurt any less. “But first, I need to wake up and know that the people that I love our safe.”

The first word was a stake through the heart and each successive word slowly drained the life out of him as he felt himself go hollow.

“I need to feel safe. Do you understand?”

He did. He understood. Once again, his being in her life had brought on this danger, this life where she didn’t feel safe. But, with him, she was. He knew she would see that again. He may have understood but he didn’t agree with her. He thought briefly to Damon who had closed off his emotions for a number of years. He could never be that way. He felt everything and he felt it intensely.

“Yeah. I – I understand.”

She looked as if she was going to say something else. Maybe she was going to change her mind, throw caution to the wind. Love had conquered all once before. But, instead, she walked right past him and didn’t look back.

But he did. He watched as she walked away from everything they had. The selfish part of him wanted this to have gone differently. But another part of him hoped that some day she’d finally feel her family was safe.

She would finally feel safe.

With or without him.

Special Notes: [Please use this section in particular to include information about the world of an OC.]