+ Empathetic Both as a human and as a vampire, the most prominent underlying positive trait is how empathetic Stefan Salvatore he is. As a human he aspired to be a doctor and as both a human and a vampire he has always held a high regard for human life (and humans.) As a human, he felt for Katherine Pierce, the orphan from Atlanta, falling for her in the process. Often giving the best advice he can, he is also content to listen. He is your friend when you need it, often counseling Caroline, Elena, or Bonnie. He will lend a hand and comfort others, but sometimes he's just in tune to what a person needs, like when he calls Elena and Bonnie over for a slumber party after Caroline is rescued from a kidnapping. He is so empathetic, he often puts other needs above his own. His empathy also leads to him devoting himself to helping his friends and family. He really throws himself romantically into a relationship with Elena, a girl who lost her parents and has been struggling ever since. He has always been observant and a loner, and while he's never felt like he's fit in, he is very good at fitting in just by interacting with others. He empathy comes off as very charming and it gives him this magnetic personality drawing in almost every series regular woman. He is the friend you want in your corner. Sometimes, this empathy can come off as naive, but he tries his hardest to see the good in people until he can't. And even... then...

— Self-Loathing - Thanks to his brother, Damon, Stefan leads a long, guilt-ridden life. After saving his brother's life, his brother vows to give him an eternity of misery. When Katherine reveals what she is to him, Stefan is afraid and has to be compelled into not fearing her. After becoming what she is and his brother rejecting him, he in turn hates himself. He stays on the fringes of society, not getting a handle on his bloodlust. One day, he feeds so hard on Marianna Fell her neck rips right off, leading to his nickname: the Ripper. It's another reason Stefan can hate himself, turning off his humanity to bury his self loathing deep down. His self-loathing gives way to self destructive tendencies: often isolating himself, pushing the people he loves away, and yes, turning off his humanity, or currently in his canon point: dimming the switch and focusing only on what he can: anger. He is so regretful and hateful, even a Stefan without humanity keeps a list of his victims on a door in his Chicago apartment. That self-loathing carries the guilt from everyone he's ever killed, including his father. Self-loathing makes him cut his losses and leave town, often starting over (he matriculates 17 times and at one time moves down South abandoning everyone he knows). In the latest case, he's been forced on the run and is living with the guilt of abandoning his girlfriend who just gave birth.

Acerbic When comfortable with someone, Stefan's sense of humor comes out, but in most cases it is a very callous, biting, acerbic humor. He will mock someone shamelessly, the sarcasm practically dripping from his tongue. With or without humanity, he will cut someone down to size with his words. When he is in a mood (or without his humanity), his acerbity has no limits. His judgment surfaces from his snide remarks, often belittling others for his own benefit. In these remarks, he amuses himself. He even goes so far as to joke with Caroline when he gets his memory back, calling her Rebekah, just to fuck with her. He is fluent in sarcasm.

— Self-Righteous - Nicknamed, "Saint Stefan" or "Savior Stefan," Stefan spends most of the series believing in his and Damon's dynamic. Stefan is forever the good brother to Damon's bad brother. Stefan believes his decisions are the right ones, and that he would do the right thing in the face of Damon's wrong decisions. Stefan is very rarely held to his darker decisions in canon, not longer than Damon is, anyway, and most characters reinforce this. Elena comes to forgive Stefan for his most egregious act (almost driving Elena off Wickery Bridge to best Klaus) only three episodes later. While Stefan is not a moral center, he has formed his own set of morals and he stands by them. He is as ruthless as he needs to be, does what needs to be done, all in the name of believing he is in the right. This self-righteous nature gives way to being overprotective, selflessly martyring himself and keeping secrets, something he does throughout the entire series.

Being a vampire, Stefan has...

☓ enhanced speed, ontop of that, the ability to "appear" behind you/in rooms super quietly, appearing in a flash, essentially.
☓ the ability to jump really high
☓ enhanced strength
☓ enhanced senses (sight, smell, taste and especially hearing, vampires can hear conversations from across a room)
☓ when the fangs come out, his eyes go black, red-black veins protrude outward (this also happens when he's hungry)
☓ the ability to compel a human not on vervain - this is making eye contact and getting them to do something/say something/forget that anything happened whatsoever
☓ he can manipulate or enter a persons' dream state, especially when they're weakened, this is easier with humans. this can be as simple as appearing in someone's mind
☓ early in the series, and through the character of lexi, it's been illustrated that some older vampires can fabricate illusions. Lexi causes Stefan to think he's been starving for years, while Damon wastes time manipulating fog and sending a crow places. stefan never uses this, just being thorough
☓ a vampire can never age, and they heal faster from injuries
☓ his blood can also heal a human's injuries
☓ if he feeds you his blood and you die, you wake up in transition to become a vampire

Being a vampire also means there are weaknesses...

☓ a vampire needs to be invited into a dwelling
☓ a vampire can't walk into the sunlight, but stefan has a ring that lets him walk in the sun
☓ fire, a stake through the heart, beheading, heart-removal, sunlight, and a werewolf (or hybrid) bite are all lethal to vampires.
☓ vervain weakens a vampire if ingested or injected. it also burns. (but it also keeps an original vampire from being able to compel them). when extensive amounts of vervain are in their system, they can't compel
☓ being stabbed by anything wooden is excruciating but not fatal, this is the same with wooden bullets
☓ feeding on animal blood makes a vampire weaker than say if they fed on human blood (like Stefan)
☓ older vampires are stronger but hybrids do seem to be the exception

As a human, he is a doppelganger

☓ his blood is a potent spell ingredient

Outside of his supernatural qualities...

☓ Stefan has also attended school over 17 times (including the Ivy's), so he is very knowledgable, especially when it comes to American history. He has a knack for memorization when it comes to dates
☓ Stefan speaks fluent French, and so-so Italian and Latin
☓ He is a very good cook
☓ He can ride a motorcycle
x He's a skilled football player

TDM top level + threads, communicating and thinking

communicating