The Kitten, the Witches and the Bad Wardrobe Willow & Tara Forever

by **Dazey** » Sun Nov 18, 2001 5:38 pm

This topic was raised tangentially in the "Tara Question" thread, now (rightly) closed, but I wanted to address it. It's been mentioned a few times before, I think, but never discussed.

Anyway, Web Warlock wrote: "What was Tara doing the year in between running away from home and her meeting Willow? 'Family' establishes her age as 20 in Season 5 and that she ran off sometime after her 18th birthday. We gather she entered UC-Sunnydale at 18. She spent Season 4 with Willow. What about the time she spent before that?"

I don't think there's any missing year there. Tara turns 20 in "Family", yes, but that ep does not "establish...that she ran off sometime after her 18th birthday." What her father does say is "Your family took care of you for 18 years, Tara." I never construed this as meaning that her family took care of her for exactly 18 years and that she left home right after or soon after her 18th birthday. I think it just means that she was 18 when she left--and since her birthday is in November and since, as Web Warlock mentioned, "[w]e gather she entered UC Sunnydale at 18," my guess would be she left home and came to Sunnydale in August of 1999 to start school. At this point she was 18; in November '99 she turned 19. In December '99 she met Willow, and the rest is True Love.

Anyone disagree or have other theories?

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"Yes yes, I've got to get home to that good pie."

by **xita** » Sun Nov 18, 2001 5:46 pm

Yes we are really only talking about 3 months. One month for her to get settled in the dorms and paint that room. One month to start spreading her wings working herself up to going to the wicca meeting. Then she met Willow. I don't imagine she did much but go to class.

by **BabyWillow81** » Sun Nov 18, 2001 5:48 pm

No disagrement here, i was gonna answer with almost the same reply when i first read the top. But you got it, so I completley agree.

She was 18 when she enetered UC sunnydale then her birthday came along and she was 19 when she met willow, the day her father was there trying to make her come home was her 20 birthday. So hence no missing year.

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WILLOW: "I worship Beezlebub! I do his bidding! Do you see any goats around? NO! Because I scaraficed them all bow before SATAN!"
Mrs ROSENBERG:"Willow, please. I'm not listening to this."
WILLOW: "Prince of night, I summon you! Come fill me with you black, naughty evil!!"

by **Rane** » Sun Nov 18, 2001 5:54 pm

plus i'm sure she got scholarship (at 18) and therefore her family didn't have to take care of her anymore. i dont think there is a year missing either, she just took the scholarship and left.

by **The Rose** » Sun Nov 18, 2001 5:55 pm

yes,
I was wondering why people thought Tara was
a year ahead of Willow and Buffy.

I had no doubt Tara is the same year as Willow
I am guessing she left home as soon as college started. She met Willow in December,
and the rest is history.

------------------
Tara: My heart doesn't stutter.

Tara: Willow, I got so lost.
Willow: I found you. I will always find you.

Tara: Nobody messes with my girl!

by **Web Warlock** » Sun Nov 18, 2001 7:44 pm

Hmmm... I'll have to dig up that ref to Tara leaving home after her 18th birthday. It is too clear of a memory for me to have just made it up...

I know as a freshman in college I got into a lot of stuff in "only" three months!

Dazey, thanks for moving this thread to better place!

Warlock.

------------------
Web Warlock
web.warlock@home.com webwarlock@planetadnd.com
Author, the Netbooks of Witches and Warlocks
The Other Side: http://www.xtreme-gaming.com/~theotherside/
The DnD Community Council: http://www.dndcommunitycouncil.org/nbownw
--
"It could be witches, Some evil witches.
Which is ridiculous, 'Cause witches, they were persecuted Wicca good and love the earth
And women power and I'll be over here."

by **AmberBensonFan** » Sun Nov 18, 2001 7:57 pm

quote:
Originally posted by xita:
Yes we are really only talking about 3 months. One month for her to get settled in the dorms and paint that room. One month to start spreading her wings working herself up to going to the wicca meeting. Then she met Willow. I don't imagine she did much but go to class.

This is a bit OT from this topic, but Xita brings up something I'm curious about. I've gone to college, but never dormed, so I'm not sure what the standard policies are... but would Tara really allowed to paint he room?

------------------
Mega Willow and Tara site:
www.kingproduction.net/buffy.html
Enlightened Member #243, BHS Member #70, Fragile member #308
"Nothing I can do, you took my soul with you." AB OMWF
"Suffer for the Tomato" Alyson (AOL)
"I love playing with Jello. I like to squish it up in my teeth and smile at people." Alysonquote:

by **Web Warlock** » Sun Nov 18, 2001 8:03 pm

Not at SIU (where I was an Undergrad) or any university I have ever worked at.

Granted, psych profs really don't get the low-down on what goes on in dorm life. (Though I did have student once tell me the reason she was late for her exam in my class was because she was having some really good sex. I have about another 100 stories just like that...)

Warlock.

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Web Warlock
web.warlock@home.com webwarlock@planetadnd.com
Author, the Netbooks of Witches and Warlocks
The Other Side: http://www.xtreme-gaming.com/~theotherside/
The DnD Community Council: http://www.dndcommunitycouncil.org/nbownw
--
"It could be witches, Some evil witches.
Which is ridiculous, 'Cause witches, they were persecuted Wicca good and love the earth
And women power and I'll be over here."

[This message has been edited by Web Warlock (edited November 18, 2001).]

by **Utena** » Sun Nov 18, 2001 8:06 pm

Hayl freakin' no.
Well, at least at: Berkeley, UCLA, Stanford, Georgetown, Wellesley and UT.

I asked friends who were online right now at those schools JIC (well not Berkeley...I lived in our crappy dorms for two years)...but I seriously doubt any school would allow some freshie to paint their dorm room. =P

by **Wiccagrrl** » Sun Nov 18, 2001 8:10 pm

Ok, so...maybe the dorm room being painted wasn't realistic...but it was so darn cool

------------------
Tracy

Hear that Baby? You're my always.

by **Beautiful Tara's Girl** » Sun Nov 18, 2001 8:15 pm

quote:
Originally posted by Web Warlock:
I did have student once tell me the reason she was late for her exam in my class was because she was having some really good sex.

Hee hee hee...I made a certain young man late to SO MANY CLASSES a couple of years ago...I wonder if he ever told his profs the reason?

As far as Tara goes, I agree that she probably earned a scholarship to UC Sunnydale...I'm just wondering in what. I'm guessing she had a lot of time to herself to study hard and excel academically in high school, so it's a safe bet that it wasn't an athletic scholarship.

Now I'm all curious as to what Tara's high school life must have been like...thanks guys...

~BTG
(far too interested in first causes)

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"I love you so much I almost forgot to brood!" -Wesley (as Angel)quote:

by **Warduke** » Sun Nov 18, 2001 8:18 pm

Oh I am loving this, instead of thinking about Tara being there over a year before meeting Willow, she was there just 3 months before meeting her...*sigh*

by **Wiccagrrl** » Sun Nov 18, 2001 8:22 pm

Her High School life was probably pretty miserable. I doubt she had many friends. (Donnie, her brother, says as much.) Her mother died when she was 17. Her father and brother...well, also pretty miserable.
I imagine she was pretty book-wormish, with a pretty rich fantasy life.

Her love life (such as it was) is a whole other question. I mean, Willow does say the Tara had been "out" much longer than she had. So, was there a girlfriend pre-Willow? Clearly there were crushes and Tara at least seems to have known for a while that she was interested in women.

by **Web Warlock** » Sun Nov 18, 2001 8:31 pm

We do get a couple of glimpses into Tara's pre-Willow life.

Wiccagirl points out the arguement in "Tough Love" when Willow says Tara has been out longer. Course that could mean a few different things.

Plus from OMWF ("Under Your Spell")and other sources (Hush, among others) that Tara knew of a magical world and was fairly practiced in it before Willow.

I don't know, it's a hard call. I liked it when Tara had a "Big Mystery", back before "Family", so maybe I am looking for that now.

Warlock

------------------
Web Warlock
web.warlock@home.com webwarlock@planetadnd.com
Author, the Netbooks of Witches and Warlocks
The Other Side: http://www.xtreme-gaming.com/~theotherside/
The DnD Community Council: http://www.dndcommunitycouncil.org/nbownw
--
"It could be witches, Some evil witches.
Which is ridiculous, 'Cause witches, they were persecuted Wicca good and love the earth
And women power and I'll be over here."

by **Warduke** » Sun Nov 18, 2001 8:31 pm

Well Wiccagrrl, I have said this before, I took the been out longer remark as Willow saying that Tara had known she was gay longer than Willow and I think since coming to college, she had been out, something I'm sure she wasn't back home.

I really don't see Tara having any other gf before Willow, she was sooo shy and I can't even imagine her having a gf back home and she was only in college three months before meeting Willow, so I really believe Willow is her first, which to me makes it even more romantic

by **Kalita** » Sun Nov 18, 2001 8:36 pm

quote:
Originally posted by Beautiful Tara's Girl:
I'm guessing she had a lot of time to herself to study hard and excel academically in high school, so it's a safe bet that it wasn't an athletic scholarship.

But, isn't she always running of to volleyball practice? I thought that explained her absence in all the episodes she missed...

quote:

by **Beautiful Tara's Girl** » Sun Nov 18, 2001 8:49 pm

No, no, Kalita, she's going home to study the volume...the text. The volumey...text...

by **BabyWillow81** » Sun Nov 18, 2001 9:04 pm

Very intersting, what was Tara like in high school. I'm willing to bet she was Willow pre buffy. With all the bookworminess...I don't know about the whole computer thing though. Where as before willow discovered magick she was the computer nerd, i think Tara was always just really into the magick.
From what tara siad about her mother beeing very powerful i think she was actually brought up wiccan.

Hey and theres nothing wrong with a lil magick

------------------
"Were all human beings. Theres nothing that sets Gwyneth Paltrow apart from anybody else. Its just some people buy into it when somomene says'Youre so great youre so wonderful. Let me wip your ass off for you.'[looks to the side]
Sorry about that,Mom." Amber Benson (on how power dosent impress her)

"Thats what a 'Female expression session' looks like"-Alyson Hannigan SMF5

"Oh..A lil' wheelie"-AH SMF5

by **Corporeal Dennis** » Sun Nov 18, 2001 9:07 pm

Speaking of the characters' ages, did anybody notice that at the new official site, Willow's birthday is listed as being in 1982? That makes her at least a year younger than all the other characters (except Dawn) and potentially up to two years younger than some of them, since we've never heard when her birthday is. I think someone skipped a grade somewhere.

Any guesses about her birthday? I'm guessing mid-June. She seems very cancerian to me.

by **AutumnT** » Sun Nov 18, 2001 9:15 pm

quote:
Originally posted by Beautiful Tara's Girl:
No, no, Kalita, she's going home to study the volume...the text. The volumey...text...

Well, I'm glad she finally got a "study buddy" for that text. The mrmrmford report is much more interesting with someone else.

[This message has been edited by AutumnT (edited November 18, 2001).]quote:

by **Rane** » Sun Nov 18, 2001 9:35 pm

i wouldn't be surprised if willow had skipped a grade.

and that song in OMWF and the argument in TL also makes me believe that tara may have had a gf before. it just seems to me she knew exactly what she liked about willow (both magickally and otherwise), there didn't seem to be any confusion on her part in TR, just shyness of probably knowing what she could have with her.

and she must be a really smart too, glory herself said she had a great mind.

however, i dont see any similarity between early willow and early tara. but that's another thread.

by **Warduke** » Sun Nov 18, 2001 9:46 pm

Actually Rane the lyrics for Under Your Spell only makes me believe even more that Wilow was her first.

by **Ressick** » Sun Nov 18, 2001 10:09 pm

*does some mental math*

So if the official site lists Willow as a 1982 baby, and Tara would turn 21 this year...

Oh my!

Tara is robbing the cradle. Willow is 19 and Tara should turn 21 this year on the anniversary of "Family" airing. Two whole years difference.

And I have no problem claiming Willow is a Cancer. We're a good sign. Especially us 1982 babies... LOL

Res, proud Cancerian born in 1982

by **Rane** » Sun Nov 18, 2001 10:13 pm

hhm, now that i think about it... that only one there part... you may be right. thanks for pointing that out.

but i'm still a bit confused.

by **xita** » Sun Nov 18, 2001 10:15 pm

I don't know why the official site has that as Willow's birthday. Is there any evidence of that?

by **AutumnT** » Sun Nov 18, 2001 10:16 pm

quote:
Originally posted by Rane:
hhm, now that i think about it... that only one there part... you may be right. thanks for pointing that out.
but i'm still a bit confused.

I think Willow is her first love, but not necessarily her first sexual experience.

quote:

by **Rane** » Sun Nov 18, 2001 10:21 pm

i can agree with that, autumn.

edited to reply to brian (?)-

you could have thought you were in love and had sex. then once you're trully in love you know what's real and what isn't. i just wished my brain didn't feel like it's about to fall out. we're all bringing in our own personal experiences and i just wish joss would tell us. just like he said the first time the had sex was after the flaming O.

[This message has been edited by Rane (edited November 19, 2001).]

by **Warduke** » Sun Nov 18, 2001 10:21 pm

I really don't think Tara's the type to have sex w/o being in love first.

by **AutumnT** » Sun Nov 18, 2001 10:25 pm

quote:
Originally posted by Warduke:
I really don't think Tara's the type to have sex w/o being in love first.

There is a wide range to sexual experience. Hence all the bases. Tara certainly could have had a girlfriend without having had sex.
quote:

by **The Rose** » Sun Nov 18, 2001 10:25 pm

Here, Here Warduke.

Why are some people so dead set on Tara being
with someone other than Willow?

------------------
Tara: My heart doesn't stutter.

Tara: Willow, I got so lost.
Willow: I found you. I will always find you.

Tara: Nobody messes with my girl!

The Kitten, the Witches and the Bad Wardrobe Willow & Tara Forever

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