I was actually expecting you to go to Willow for Stiles' parallel character, because he is the go-to character for research, and often is the ultimate authority on information AND solutions. I was planning to make a case for Stiles being Xander as well - now I don't have to - but on my list, was that Xander is so often the "Mirror" for the other characters. Remember when they start university, and he comes back from his "dollar in the waistband" adventures? Each of them is having a crisis of self-identity, and each of them talks with Xander, who holds himself up as a mirror to describe what he sees when he looks at them. He's always right, he always knows the others, and their strengths, better than they know themselves. I see Stiles very much in that role.
The other thing that Stiles does, which *could* be Xander but I don't think it is, I think there is no parallel in the Buffy-verse for this trait - is that Stiles is the Caregiver. Every motivation he has, is for nurturing and keeping safe his loved ones. He nurtures his dad, and a threat on his Dad's life is the scariest thing in his world. He nurtures Scott, he nurtures Lydia, he even starts to nurture Derek.
Stiles' Caregiving role is the thing I love most about him, and why he is the most compelling character for me (although Danny is a close second, and I don't know why because aloof and even doesn't work for me - but the Oz parallel works!)
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branchandroot
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Date: 2012-10-04 04:48 pm (UTC)The other thing that Stiles does, which *could* be Xander but I don't think it is, I think there is no parallel in the Buffy-verse for this trait - is that Stiles is the Caregiver. Every motivation he has, is for nurturing and keeping safe his loved ones. He nurtures his dad, and a threat on his Dad's life is the scariest thing in his world. He nurtures Scott, he nurtures Lydia, he even starts to nurture Derek.
Stiles' Caregiving role is the thing I love most about him, and why he is the most compelling character for me (although Danny is a close second, and I don't know why because aloof and even doesn't work for me - but the Oz parallel works!)