now I'm bathed in light; TARA MACLAY When we first meet Tara Maclay in the Fourth Season Buffy episode entitled "Hush," the young, practicing Wiccan is painfully shy and quiet, almost taciturn. Her silent nature leads one to believe, initially, that she is reclusive in nature, despite the fact that she's in attendance at the UC Sunnydale Wiccan group upon the first introduction of her character. Sensing a connection with fellow Wiccan, Willow Rosenberg, Tara seeks out the young girl, hoping they could talk about Wicca, its practices and spells, breaking off from the vapid, banal UC Sunnydale Wiccan group ostensibly devoted to the religion, but far more focused on college politics and popularity. When they run into each other, literally, as Tara is attempting to escape from The Gentlemen, the two quickly realize they both have magic power, and that combined, they could further hone and enhance their own inherent abilities. As time wore on, it seemed that finding a kindred spirit in Willow was almost kismet; it began to change both of them in different ways, as they grew closer and stronger together while concurrently changing and evolving independently, beyond their burgeoning romantic relationship. Tara starts out as a character who is shy to an extreme degree; though she always retains that quieter nature, she becomes more vocal, more involved, and more confident.
Her romantic relationship with Willow seems to have been the catalyst for Tara "coming into her own", so to speak, and truly realizing her potential and the intrinsic, inexorable beauty within her. Tara doesn't seem to have any apparent trust issues, but if we examine how she initially approached the Scooby gang, we can see that her slow, delayed assimilation into that family unit was primarily a result of the almost debilitating self-doubt she had at that time. It isn't until the Season Five episode "Family," that Tara seems to truly feel that finally belongs with the Scoobies, and not just Willow, as she was embraced by them as her "family" and cast aside by her blood relatives.
Though not every character on Buffy is as close to Tara as Willow, Tara seems to be seen by everyone, for the most part, as the sensible, gentle, amiable one with a pure heart and a radiant soul full of light. She seeks the best for everyone, and despite her own personal feelings, would rather see someone healthy and happy than risk anything else for her own selfish reasons. Tara lives her life selflessly, with a strong moral compass guiding her actions. Her love for her family, the Scoobies, is her touchstone and resolve, and though she does not display her protectiveness of them quite as overtly as people like Buffy or Xander, she will do anything for the people she loves.
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif) taxonomites In this community, Tara will be AU, diverging from canon with the Season Six episode "Seeing Red." In canon, Tara died in this episode; in this AU storyline for Tara, however, it was Willow who died in "Seeing Red" and not Tara. Given that they both had different natures and approaches to magic, Tara did not absorb black magic and react with violence and vengeance as a response to her lover's death. Instead, after Willow's death, Tara severely withdrew from everyone, in danger of becoming reclusive and relapsing back to the painfully shy and quiet Tara she used to be, pre-Willow. With the support and love of the Scoobies, however (primarily Dawn and Giles), Tara is slowly in the process of grieving and healing. So in current canon, Tara is set a month after Willow's death. Whereas in canon, it was Willow who traveled to England with Giles to "detox" after going to the dark side, it is Tara who journeys to England with Giles, meeting with the Coven he's acquainted with there, and coping with her grief by finding comfort amongst kindred spirits.
Tara Maclay does not belong to me; she appears here solely for the purpose of role-playing, and is the property of Joss Whedon. I am also in no way affiliated with Amber Benson, the actress who portrays Tara. Profile layout by ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) milou_veronica
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