Buffy the Vampire Slayer
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Things I've learned from this profile group:
"What are you good at?" reveals what motivates the character, by showing how their one-word description interacts with the rest of the world through them. For a good example, see Cordelia.
"What kind of relationship are you in? Who are you to the other person, in your eyes? How does this contrast with how they describe you?" This offers great insight into relationships. Often two people have completely different views of themselves and the other person in a relationship than that person does. For a good example, see Oz and Willow.
"What are you hiding, and why?" Everybody has their dark side. The things people hide from, the things they deliberately avoid doing, are incredibly telling as to their past. For examples, see Cordelia, Giles, Oz, and Willow.
Cordelia Chase
Rupert Giles
Xander Harris
Oz
Willow Rosenberg
Buffy Summers/Faith/The Slayer
Other writing resources:
Awards Page
Character Breakdowns & Analysis
Fun With Profiling:Buffy the Vampire Slayer
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More on Schticks Page
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Palaskar's Primer on Emotions for Characterization
Wants & Needs
Cordelia is basically an extremely sensitive person. She almost never laughs, not genuinely; she always reacts seriously to sarcasm. I recently read a rant on Serendipity's BtVS page that pointed out how natural Cordy acted during the beginning of Becoming. She laughs at Xander's jokes, compliments Willow, defends Buffy. In finding people who genuinely liked her for who she is, she became more open; her sensitivity had caused her to turn inward and become self-absorbed. Interestingly, this may not have been the sole reason for her tactlessness. She seems to prize honesty and directness, probably because she's so serious. Like Xander, she needs love and support. She's gotten this by being the popular kid, the center of attention. She's gotten around her fragility, too, by acting strong -- thus the whole Bitch-Goddess routine. The 'sadistic popular girl' routine also has the side benefit of distracting her from her own insecurities and letting her vent her rage and pain.
We know that, like Willow, she has a temper. In my mind, this is just a defense mechanism. She doesn't curl up into a ball when threatened, she fights back. Of course, when she's really scared or hurt, she still runs away, afraid of being hurt more -- but this eventually will be superceded by anger if she's provoked enough.
To me, the most revealing line Cordy has ever uttered is, "I'm good at covering things up." It's the crux of her whole social interaction, her whole Public Schtick. She's the popular kid who covers up her smarts, the cynic who hides her deep love for Xander, the ordinary girl who covers up being a Slayerette. Cordelia's been hurt. A lot. Her temper's the normal reaction for someone's who's been hurt, but she's so far gone that she needs to hide from the things that can scar her emotionally...serious thought, serious love, serious harm and death. She's so serious because she began life so fragile and sensitive, then likely got pushed into her role.
In a relationship, what is she needs is the opportunity to be fragile, gentle. She needs someone to be strong for her; she needs someone who doesn't need her to feel good about himself. Thus when Xander ignored her, she started to open up and fall in love with him. Xander's always been scared that she'll leave him, though; he's too dense, too busy coping and being Funny Man to realize that she cares for him deeply. They could have and could still have a great long-term relationship, more likely as friends than lovers, since they'll always be scared that the other will hurt them by leaving or rejecting the other. Still, Cordelia can provide the deep love Xander needs, and Xander is possessive enough to be strong for her from that. Scarily, I think she and Oz would make a very good couple; he doesn't want another groupie, but a 'nice girl'; she needs someone to be strong so she can be the nice girl for a change. Angel and Cordy would also make a pretty good couple, though not as nice a match as her and Oz. Angel's quite strong emotionally -- he has to be, to keep his demon in check -- however, it is a strength of desperation, not of character. And what he loves is the basic goodness inherent in some people, the same goodness the Cordelia wants to show, but can't, because she's afraid she'll be hurt.
Cordelia, like Xander, needs a sense of security, inner strength. She needs to stop defining herself by who she interacts with, or even what she does. Rather she should define herself internally, by who she is -- e.g., I like this, to hell with everybody else liking it or not. She needs, too, to stop hiding who she is. Will it hurt? Yes. A lot. But pain's just pain.
Profile-O-Rama: Cordelia is probably an only child who grew up sheltered from the vicissitudes of life by circumstance and status. Her father probably just throws money at her when she tries to get his attention, thus her need to be center of attention, and her fashion-consciousness. We know she's smart -- "I test well" -- but she's chosen to hide this fact in order to become and stay popular. This makes me suspect that there was some incident or pressure during her life that made her reject displaying her intellect overtly. It was probably some embarassing scene that ended with her peers laughing at her. Xander is probably the first guy she's actually felt something deep for -- witness the "BX" and "AX" timeline ("before Xander", "after Xander".) In fact, now that I look at that quote, "I'm good at hiding things," I wonder how much of her real emotions Cordelia's hidden. It seems like a lot, bespeaking what was to Cordelia some serious past emotional trauma. The other kids probably didn't even notice...so she ended up as one of the kids who used to hate her to cope with it all.
Giles is all about self-control. Why? I'm inclined to say it's his dark past. He's been a punk, and has probably hurt a lot of people while trying to defy his destiny as a Watcher; now he wants to keep that from happening again.
Thus, he's now all restrained, likely because something really, really bad happened when he lost control. This is likely the mysterious reason why the Watcher Council considers him a black sheep, and why he was posted to the British Museum. Interesting that he gets to Watch the Slayer. But if you consider that Buffy got Merrick killed, the Council probably wanted someone more disposable to replace him. Giles' combat skills (remember the scene in the park with the crossbow bolt?) and checkered, wild youth were probably viewed as an asset.
Buffy and the Slayerettes have obviously become like a second family for Giles. They've softened him emotionally, allowing him to be humorous ("I think these finger cakes are made from actual fingers!") as well as devious and vicious ([To Snyder, while slamming him up against a file cabinet] "Would you like me to convince you?") He's become less afraid of Ripper coming out and messing things up. He's even felt free to dress down a little -- no more tweed, just classic suits.
Romantically, Giles wants someone who can't get hurt. There've been hints that his paramours have been injured or killed before (Giles' chivalrous treatment of Jenny on the several occasions they fell into danger) -- certainly it would be a logical conclusion, given the nature of his calling. Even without the whole Jenny-in-my-bed-dead trauma, Giles has reason to fear, probably because he's hurt women himself in the past -- "Ripper" is probably an allusion to Jack the Ripper. I'd be thinking date rape, myself -- it wasn't viewed as a crime back in the '60s. Currently, there is absolutely no one in his life who can fullfill this need of safety; certainly he'd never let himself be attracted to one of his young charges, and Joyce Summers is just an ordinary woman, another possible victim.
Giles needs to strike a balance between self-control and his dark side. Ripper's a great asset in combat, as well as in other stressful situations ("You must conduct the ceremony...in a tutu!"), and socially. Of course, we don't want him assaulting police officers and breaking into stores like in Band Candy, either.
Profile-O-Rama: Giles had a very strict upbringing, likely in the classic English school system that is to free thought as a lepidopterist is to a butterfly. Add in the pressure of saving the world, and he rebelled in a very nasty way. Then something incredibly bad happened to get him assigned to the Britism Museum as punishment. It couldn't be of world-shaking importance, because "well, look." (Oz) So it's more likely it was a social indiscretion. The really distrubing thought pops into my head that he had an affair with one of his early Slayers; after all, he is good-looking, and Slayers seem to tend toward beauty. Of course, it's always possible that he just ticked off the Watcher Council one too many times, or offended someone important, or some other internal political cause.
Xander's personality is based on the constant rejections he's received throughout his life. First his parents, then most of his school peers, and later nearly all of his romantic interests. Xander needs love, as much of it as he can get. This is why he goes after practically every girl -- it's a chance to feel more loved. This is why he didn't go after Willow for so long -- she already loves him, that's one less person he has to worry about rejecting and abandoning him. Is it any surprise that when she started dating Oz, Xander got all over-protective? Willow is his rock; without her, he starts to collapse.
Xander's confusion stems from the fact that he wants everybody to love him, so he tries to be what everybody needs. (Thanks to Conduct Unbecoming by Mediancat and Danielle for this insight.) He's Buffy's White Knight, Willow's Best Bud, Research Boy for Giles, The Boyfriend for Cordelia. Xander's pulled this way and that by the emotions of these conflicting roles. Xander would do anything for the people that love him -- he's gone to the Hellmouth, for God's sake!
It's been speculated that Xander's got a distinct feeling of unworthiness. Some of the best Willow/Xander fics have centered around Xander realizing that he's not a prince, not a deeply sensitive and caring guy.
Xander's confused loyalty is the basis for his dark side. If his friends are threatened, he'll do anything to protect them. "If [Willow's] hurt, I'll kill you."
Humor is Xander's way of interacting -- not just dealing with trouble, like the other Slayerettes, but maintaining social status. Xander probably found at an early age, most likely with Willow and then Jesse, that humor can make people love him. Ergo, he tries to be funny. This is also why Cordelia rubbed him so wrong for so long -- Cordy has no sense of humor.
Relationship-wise, all Xander wants is someone to love him and never leave him. Sure, there's lots of raging hormones; but past all that, he's just a lonely guy. Willow, though he hasn't admitted it consciously, fits the bill perfectly; she's been with him for over a decade, and will likely be with him at least that much longer. He knows they're meant to grow old together, and has finally seen her as a beautiful woman. Unfortunately, she's just gotten over her crush on him. Xander's relationship with Cordelia might still turn out very well; she loves his independence, his strength. But as she realizes how lonely he is, how much he needs others, she'll inevitably be romantically dissuaded...the kiss between Xander and Willow is merely symptomatic of this. I'm convinced that Xander and Cordelia could easily stay longtime friends -- they're so much alike in their insecurities. As for Buffy, her 'grown-up too soon' and 'deadly-sexy' vibes are a real turnon for Xander. But she doesn't love him romantically, though his protectiveness is attractive to her, and she'll almost certainly die before he does. But like with Cordelia, there's a basic neediness that they have in common, that they could share as friends.
Xander needs to learn how to be content. Tall order for someone with the likely attention span of a three-year old. But if doesn't start cultivating more inner strength, he might just lose it if something really, irreversably bad happens to one or more of his friends. (Yes, there was Jenny, but they were hardly close.)
Profile-O-Rama: Xander is the textbook latchkey child. His parents don't care for him much, and vice versa. His friends are much more important to him, because they're all he's got. It's surprising that he's so socially inept despite his good looks and ready wit; probably the lack of parental contact, plus a lack of siblings is the cause of this.
Unlike most characters, who define themselves by what they do, Oz defines himself by what he does NOT do. He doesn't speak much, doesn't laugh, doesn't pressure Willow romantically like most guys his age, doesn't get obviously angry (though he does get angry), doesn't fit into the good student stereotype, or even the rebel teen stereotype.
Oz obviously tries very deliberately to be the good, sensitive type. Like Cordy, he's very serious -- we've yet to see him laugh. His dark side scares him -- remember his reaction to the suspected homicide in Beauty and the Beasts -- and he's afraid he'll hurt people if he expresses it.
Relationship-wise, we've received hints that Oz has been burned romantically before. When Cordelia has a message for him to give Devon, Oz says, "Why can't I meet a nice girl like that?" That's all he wants, a nice, sweet girl -- no groupies. So when Willow shows her dark side by kissing Xander, it's like he's had the rug yanked out from him, for the nth time, only this time, harder, because he thought of Willow as the sweetest girl in the world -- "You have the sweetest smile." On the other hand, Cordelia would be a very good match for him; she needs to be a nice girl, at heart; he wants a nice girl, for a change. As for Buffy -- well, she is a nice girl at heart, but the stress of Slaying makes her want to grow up faster -- a real turnoff for Oz, who's done the whole 'burning the candle at both ends' thing.
Oz needs to acknowledge that darkness exists in everyone; that it shouldn't be controlled, or rejected, but understood and incorporated.
Profile-O-Rama: Being as cool and calm as Oz is, despite his high intelligence, is just not normal. It's likely that either a) he's experienced some trauma that caused him to become restrained, or b) he had a very unusual upbringing which emphasized nonviolence and nonconformity. Given the nature of Sunnydale, I figure a) is more likely, assuming he grew up there. There's hints to this -- he seems familiar with domestic violence in Beauty and the Beasts; when Willow comes a-groveling in The Wish, he says that making her feel better is 'just not my problem,' inferring that he's had to work through problems like this before.
There are suggestions, that like Giles, there once was a time when Oz was a lot darker. He's deliberately trying to avoid groupies, a shallow love life, and generally the whole 'spoiled rock star' bit. He's likely been around the block a few times, both sexually speaking, and with violence and possibly drugs.
Willow basically defines herself by who, and to a lesser degree, what she loves. She's the one who loves Xander unrequitedly for the first season and half the second; she's the lovable, empathic friend throughout; she's the girl with the quirky hobbies and turnons ("Rented shoes excite you?" - Xander "That's not the point." - Willow.)
There's also a strong 'good girl' impulse in Willow. "I floss." She's compelled to be the good girl, the A student, the sweet young thing. This is possibly because she feel this is the basis for other people loving her -- how can she be loved if she's evil? Witness the whole 'Scum Girl' routine in the first season. This is also why she gets such a thrill out of being bad. It's her chance to grow, to learn to love the naughty parts of life -- very exotic and tempting for her.
The 'bad girl' bit is made even more tempting by her inexperience. Of all the Slayerettes, she's probably led the most sheltered life, socially speaking, likely due to an overprotective father. "Ira Rosenberg's only daughter hang crucifixes on the wall? I have to go to Xander's house just to watch 'A Charlie Brown Christmas.'" Her inexperience is probably why she's so shy; certainly she can be quite aggresive when she's comfortable socially -- remember the 'lap dance' scene with Oz in Becoming, Part 2?
In some ways, Willow is the stereotypical passionate redhead. It's tempered by her shyness and desire to do good, though. Still, her love for her friends and her romantic passion do show under pressure, often as anger -- remember how she blew up at Angel when he wouldn't have coffee with Buffy, or tries to chop Xander into bacon bits while he's enchanted? Willow loves deeply, and when she's thwarted she hates deeply.
It is thwarted passion that is the source of Willow's dark side.
Willow's love for her friends is the source of her deep loyalty to them. Unlike Xander, who is loyal because he needs to be loved, Willow is basically loyal because she needs to express love. Still, they're much alike in that they'd go through hell and damnation for their friends.
Romantically, Willow wants someone to love who will love her back the way she loves him -- wholeheartedly, and in every possible manner. Oz does love her wholeheartedly, but Willow's bad side is a turnoff for him -- he's done the groupie thing -- "I'm living groupie free." Willow hasn't, but wants to -- "I think I'm a groupie!" Cydney pointed on on Serendipity's rant page that Willow has to come up with reasons to like Oz (see above groupie quote.) Xander, on the other hand, probably has enough varieties of love for Willow to open up an ice cream shop, but will always be seeking some extra source of love...not necessarily romance, but comfort in the broad sense. Plus, Xander seems to be just a crush for Willow -- a really big crush, but even Buffy can tell it's just a temporary sickness thing ("You've got it [a crush] bad, girl" -- Buffy to Willow.) "For the longest time I didn't know what I wanted..." And just for those of you who were wondering, Angel's a really bad choice for Willow. Angel'll always be attracted to Buffy on some level (remember Spike's big speech in Lover's Walk?), and because of the curse, he and Willow probably can't become intimate.
Profile-O-Rama: The only girl, and likely the only child (though she could have a much younger brother), in a very Jewish, very hardworking, very loving family. She seems to have been sheltered by her father from the wilder and less savory elements of life.
Buffy Summers/Faith/The Slayer:"Torn"
Being the Slayer has basically torn Buffy into two parts: Buffy, and the Slayer. She's trying to juggle two roles, and two lives. "You're both scheduling me 24 hours a day. That's 48 hours..." She's wanted to be the normal girl for the longest time; but when Faith steps in, and takes over the role of Slayer that Buffy's wanted to be rid of for so long, Faith ends up taking her Slayer friends too.
Faith, on the other hand, and just like Kendra, has no life. Heck, she barely has a sane personality. ("She's not playing with a full deck" - Buffy "...She has a three." - Giles.) Faith's private life was destroyed when Kekistos killed her mother and Watcher (who some speculate were the same person.)
The Slayer's destiny in life seems to be tragic. Both Faith and Buffy have experienced the death of a Watcher and one of their loved ones (Faith's mother, and Angel, to send him to Hell and close the gate.) The tragedies tear the Slayer up inside, forcing her to become stronger, more self-reliant, or perish. Buffy copes greatly by having friends, and using humor. Faith manages, but only barely. Still, they both grew up too fast. Buffy needs to do girly stuff; Faith does too but won't admit it. And Kendra was so socially inept she got intimidated by Xander.
I'm of the opinion that Buffy and Faith are two halves of one person. When Buffy died and Kendra was called, Buffy was temporarily all rage. When we meet Kendra, she's Discipline Girl. Now that Buffy's more cool and composed, she meets Faith, who is well...not.
This idea neatly sidesteps the 'For each generation, there is only one Slayer' prophecy. There's still only one Slayer, only now, she's two people. Want more proof? At the end of the first season, Buffy's power level ramps up enough to let her kill the Master easily. This happens again to let her defeat Angelus. But after each encounter, Buffy's strength returns to normal. I hypothesize that the extra power went, after some time (around three months) into the creation of the new Slayer.
Romantically, Buffy wants an equal, someone she can she both sides of her life with. I imagine Faith wants this too, though she'd probably settle for any nice guy who's not a loser. This is the cornerstone of Buffy's relationship with Angel, though probably not the basis for their attraction; Buffy and Angel are polar complements, both dangerous and living dangerous lives, but coming from opposite sides. Buffy could become romantically attracted to Xander; he's already sharing both sides of her life, and he can hold his own in combat. But she'd probably always worry that he'd get himself killed protecting her, or that she wouldn't be able to save him, because he is, after all, only human. Faith would probably happily shack up with Xander, but she'd end up dumping him, not through any fault of his own, but likely because she doesn't want to get hurt by being too deeply involved, and perhaps too, that she also wouldn't want to see him hurt. There've been suggestions that Faith has been deliberately dating losers because something really bad happened to her with men. Common speculation paints her as a rape victim; personally I've entertained the more twisted possibility that she accidently hurt her boyfriend while still new to her Slayer powers. As for Oz...both Faith and Buffy's experience and cynicism are a turnoff for him. The Slayers would probably react to him romantically the same way they would Xander.
The Slayer needs to find a source of strength that can't be taken away from her. This isn't her friends and loved ones; nor is it herself. The only possible source would be a transcendental confidence, a blind faith in the powers of good or a deep connection with God.
Profile-O-Rama: Slayers seem to have messed-up home lives. Buffy's parents are divorced, Kendra was virtually raised military-style by her Watcher, Faith seems to have had a rough, rebellious youth, with some people suspecting she was a street child before her Watcher took her in. The enormous responsibility of being the Chosen One forces the Slayer to grow up, and eventually grow old emotionally, before her time. They go on and survive, not because they can, but because they must. It's a courage born of desperation, made bearable only by friendship.
Other writing resources:
Awards Page
Character Breakdowns & Analysis
Fun With Profiling:Buffy the Vampire Slayer
How to Write
Motivations by Age Type
More on Schticks Page