Character Base

• Character Name: Tara Maclay
• Age: 22
• Canon (Date/Year Released)/Canon Point: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (March 10, 1997)/ 6x20 "Villains
• Items Coming Along: Spell Book, Random Book on Demons, wooden stake
• Content Warnings for Character: Death, violence, murder

Character Background

• History: Wiki
• Core Relationships:
Willow - Tara's girlfriend and the first significant relationship that made her feel seen and special. Through Willow's influence, friendship and love, Tara became a stronger person and more assertive. She became friends with Willow's friends and because of this, found a better family than the one she had. While they briefly broke up because of Willow's addiction, Tara still deeply loved Willow and stood up for her when Anya tried to bully her into doing magic. They reconciled eventually, Tara not caring for the long period of trust being built, simply wanting to be with her girlfriend. Willow was the last person she was with when Tara died.

Buffy - Buffy at first was a bit distant to Tara, not really understanding her. Over time, they bonded because of shared classes and still attending college together. When Buffy came back from the dead, she turned to Tara to figure out if there was anything different about her or if she came back wrong. She confided in her toxic relationship with Spike and how it made her feel, leading to Tara sort of protecting Buffy from Spike's overtures. The pair became close friends after this.

Dawn - Tara became a surrogate mother for Dawn during the absence of Buffy. She would see that Dawn went to school, did her work and was looked after. It didn't make up for Buffy's absence but it was deep enough that Dawn took it personally when Tara moved out, after breaking up with Willow. She did the typical divorced parent routine of taking Dawn out for a special day with burgers and milkshakes, all so she could have "that talk" with her about none of this was her fault and Tara still loved her. When Willow and Tara reconciled, Dawn was overjoyed, pushing them to stay in bed as long as they wanted and encouraging their physical affection. Dawn was the one to find Tara's body and stayed with her because she "didn't want to leave her alone."

Scoobies - Xander, Anya, and Giles are among Tara's friends. While she doesn't interact with them nearly as much as those above, she does care about the group. They go so far as to protect her from her biological family, saying that they will protect Tara at all costs. She's invited to Xander and Anya's wedding, acting as a maid of honor and helps Anya with her wedding vows. This largely consists of telling her what she *shouldn't* say, like calling Xander her "sex poodle". She's among the group when they give farewell gifts to Giles when he decides to return to London.

Spike - Not someone Tara is close to largely, but they have a certain level of friendship. Beyond being snarky with Spike when she protects Buffy, Tara is kinder to the vampire than the other Scoobies. He quips he doesn't care if her family takes her or not, but whether this is true is open for debate. He shows a great deal of kindness to Tara when she lost her sanity due to Glory feeding on her. She nearly sets him on fire by opening the window to sunlight, but Spike tries to calm her down and reassure her that it was all right. One of the other times Spike actually helped her was when Tara's family came to collect her, reasoning that her curse would start to show, as she was half demon. Spike, who had a chip inserted that kept him from harming humans through pain, tested this "curse." He punched Tara in the nose, causing his chip to go off and hurt him in the process. It proved that Tara wasn't a demon. Largely they are cordial together with moments of snark or kindness.

Glory - Glory was a god who would often feed on the minds of others. In Season 5, she was searching for "the Key", which could open dimensions. The Key had been turned into a human and placed with the slayer. Dawn. She was fashioned to be Buffy's sister. Glory did everything she could to find the key, including torturing two of the Scoobies, one of whom was Tara. Glory cornered her on a bench, taking her hand and breaking it with her strength. Still, Tara wouldn't divulge where the Key was. Glory fed on Tara's mind, leaving her slow and insane. It wasn't until the finale that Willow reversed this effect, saving Tara and weakening Glory.

Her family - Her family consists of her father, her mother (deceased), Donald her brother and Beth her cousin. Tara doesn't talk much about them, apparently having left home and ignoring contact with them. Her mother, she was apparently close to. She discusses her death with Buffy, after Buffy's mother passes. There's sadness in Tara when the subject comes up, so whatever relationship they had, it in no way compared to the other family. Tara fears her father and brother. It's never said how exactly they treated her in the past, but she has no desire to go with them. They continually talk about a curse and Tara being half demon, but this is apparently used to keep the women in the family in line. They eventually leave after Buffy and the Scoobies protect her.

Character Personality Through Key Moments

(2+) Positive Experiences:
Tara is caring, encouraging others to see the best in themselves. Whether this is Willow, showing her how wonderful and powerful she is, or Buffy, reassuring her that she is normal and there is nothing wrong with her. She's kind to everyone she meets, vampire or human, so long as they aren't a threat to her.

Tara is assertive. This was something that she learned over time, having started as shy and with a stutter. Through Willow's encouragement and love, Tara slowly became more confident and began to see herself as strong and brave. She would stand up for those she cared about, no longer backing down as she did in her first appearance. She becomes clear on her feelings, not hesitating to state them or to accept a slight or wrong done to her.

Tara is selfless. She always puts the good of her friends ahead of herself. When Oz returns to Sunnydale, Tara offers to step aside so Willow can be with her former boyfriend, no matter the pain it would cause her. She endures physical torture and loss of her mind to keep Dawn safe, sacrificing herself rather than hurting Dawn.

Tara is prudent about magic. She has a strong code she lives by when it comes to being a witch and she is unwilling to compromise those beliefs. Dawn came to her after her mother died, wishing to learn resurrection spells to bring her back. Tara firmly refused, not wishing to break the laws of nature. She does break this belief once, in helping Willow bring Buffy back, but she regrets that choice later, knowing it wasn't right. She recognizes Willow's dependency on magic and continually asserts that magic shouldn't be used this way. She goes so far as to break up with Willow, truly believing she was out of control.

Tara is playful, especially with Dawn and Willow. When boys show an interest in her, she teases Willow by saying she was "cured." She discourages Dawn from researching demons by giving her a book which was opened to a page with a well endowed demon. As mentioned above, she is snarky with Spike and often teases him when he attempts to be alone with Buffy.

Tara is motherly. She is the caregiver of the group and looks after the Scoobies. This is especially evident with Dawn, becoming a surrogate mother after Joyce's death. She looks out for Buffy and tries to guide Willow away from magic addiction. Tara tends to be the one others come to when they need help or comfort.

(2+) Negative Experiences:

Tara is less quick to trust, especially after Willow's magic addiction. While she does rush back into the relationship with Willow, it was hard for her to forget the things that were done. She terminated her relationship with Willow after it was revealed that Tara had manipulated her mind so she would forget their fight. Twice. When Willow promised not to do this again, Tara reluctantly agreed to one more chance, but did not fully trust Willow with magic.

Tara is self conscious. She tends to compare herself to Willow in terms of magic abilities, acknowledging that Willow is far more powerful than she is. She worries about whether the Scoobies actually like her or tolerate her presence because of her relationship with Willow. She goes so far as to cast a spell on the Scoobies, preventing them from seeing demons to keep her "curse" from being revealed. Her family can easily manipulate her and make her feel worthless and wrong, nearly brow beating her into coming with them. She would often wear baggy, ill fitting clothes to try, hiding her body and herself from the world.

Tara was shy. This is something that was a large part of her character in the beginning. She often ducked her head beneath her hair, withdrew and spoke in a small voice. She used to stutter often and largely kept away from other people. When she was challenged for stating her opinion, she often backed down and hid again. This is something that she has outgrown, but it is still a large part of her past.

Tara is stubborn. She doesn't back down from something she believes in strongly, no matter the cost. She truly believes that magic shouldn't be abused, so she breaks up with Willow. She is protective of others, confronting those that would try to harm them, staying rooted in her principles. She refuses to help Dawn resurrect her mother, believing it breaks the laws of nature. She believes others should be allowed to make their own decisions and pushes the group to care for each other, firmly believing that they should be compassionate.

Deer Country Attributes

• Canon Powers: Tara is a witch in canon, strong and slightly powerful. She tends to need spell books or items to help her cast. Without them, it's a bit harder for her to use magic. She can read auras of others and get a sense of who they are deep down. She is good with Tarot Cards and palm reading. She is also slightly telekinetic, though not strong enough to move a refrigerator without help.
• Blood Type: Vile blood
• Omen: Miss Kitty Fantastico - She's a kitten normally, but if there is a threat, she will grow in size and resemble the panther/leopard creature, similar to the Beast of Bodmin Moor
• Blessed Day: May 7th. This is the day Tara died. Her death has largely been honored by the Scoobies, as they continually refuse to bring her back, not breaking the laws of nature. Given canon as well, coming back from the dead is not easy and leaves the person changed emotionally in some way. Her birthday won't hold the same meaning anymore, not the way the day of her death does.
• Patron Pthumerian: Bausphomette
• Blood Power Manifestation:

There tends to be a corrupting after effect in the show when someone comes back from the dead. Angel was more beastlike for a time, until he was pulled back to reality. Even then, he struggled. Buffy felt numb and disconnected, like she didn't belong. She couldn't feel things, not emotions or really pain. I want to follow canon a bit have Tara be numb as well, given she was in the same place as Buffy was and pulled into the Trench. Much of her blood magic will reflect that, leaving it open for it to become more corrupted or for her to recover and become more of a healer.

Tainted Touch

Rubbing her blood on her skin or through other secretions, Tara can poison or corrode someone's skin. The corrosive effect will spread across the target's body, slowly poisoning their blood and rotting their skin through Necrosis. A mimic of death itself.

Drain Emotions

Through touch, Tara can spread her own numbness into the skin of the players. This will be something she can't control at first and (with permission), it will latch on to other characters. The numbness will block chemicals that create emotions and give a sense of despair, leaving the character feeling almost dead.

Healing

Tara does have a healing ability, but until she overcomes the after effects of being dead, the character will feel numb emotionally for several days. It's not as severe as Drain Emotions, but they will feel like their body as been injected with Novocain.

Poison Mist

Sprinkling her blood on the ground will create a poison mist around Tara, about 6 feet wide. Anyone caught in it will have coughing fits, delirium and poison seep into their body. This will last for several days and lead to death, unless they are healed. The poison mist also affects the ground around her, killing plants and searing the ground.

Writing Samples

One: TDM
Two: PSL

The Player

• Player Name: Rachel
• Player Age: 18+
• Player Contact: la_fille_en_histoire
• Permissions: Here.