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- “I'm under your spell.”
- — Tara to Willow
Tillow is the femslash ship between Tara Maclay and Willow Rosenberg from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer fandom.
Canon[]
Willow and Tara met during a group session between the members of UC Sunnydale's Wicca group. Tara was quick to notice Willow appreciation and aptitude for real magic, however, the rest of the group did not share the same values on witchcraft.
Though the pair attended the Wiccan session, they did not properly meet until the Gentlemen arrived in Sunnydale and stole everyone's voices. With hopes that she and Willow could solve the issue, a now-mute Tara visited Willow's dormitory but is chased by the Gentlemen on the way. After hearing Tara violently knock on her door, Willow aided Tara in escaping the Gentlemen. The pair held hands and used their combined powers of telekinesis to levitate a vending machine and blocked the door from the Gentlemen. Once Tara and Willow's voices were returned, they discussed witchcraft and Tara tells Willow that she is special.[1]
After this, Tara and Willow saw each other more regularly. They practiced spells in Tara's dorm room. During one session, they managed to float a rose, however, the spell went awry and spun out of control. The pair continued to have "magic sessions". These sessions were intimate with hand-holding and arguably flirtatious and romantic gazes.[2] During one session, they attempt to contact the goddess Thespia to detect demonic activity in the area. However, Tara sabotages the spell in an attempt to hide her presumed demonic heritage. Before the spell, Willow tells Tara how much she appreciates her friendship and their time together, suggesting deeper feelings regarding their relationship on both sides.[3]
Fanon[]
Tara and Willow's relationship gained international attention for its exploration into LGBT relationships. During Season 4's broadcast in 1999 and 2000, the relationship gained popularity and became one the most popular ships in the fandom.
After "Hush" was broadcasted on December 14, 1999, some fans noticed a lesbian subtext occurring between the pairing and argued that the hand-holding scene implied that a lesbian storyline would occur in the series. Other fans were more doubtful regarding the pairing and believed that Willow was heterosexual and so the relationship would stay platonic.
However, the next episodes of Season 4 showed more development of the relationship. Due to the lesbian subtext becoming more evident in the series, the ship gained a larger fanbase, though some fans continued to deny the existence of the Tara/Willow ship. In late January 2000 (after the broadcast of 'A New Man'), Joss Whedon confirmed on the Bronze Posting Board that the lesbian subtext between the characters was intentional.
Though Willow and Tara didn’t break up, Tara died. So Willow eventually moved on to slayer Kennedy. Which made fans ship them.
Fandom[]
- FAN FICTION
- Tara/Willow tag on AO3
- Tara/Willow tag on FanFiction.Net
- WIKIS
- Willow/Tara on Fanlore
Media[]
- How Buffy the Vampire Slayer Depicted One of TV's First Lesbian Relationships (Nerdist • March 2017)
- 11 of the Best Willow & Tara Moments (Pride • 2019)
- The Magic of Good Representation: The impact of Willow and Tara, more than 20 years later (The Daily Northwestern • June 2020)
- Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered: Willow and Tara 20 Years On (AfterEllen • March 2021)
- ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ 25th Anniversary and the Importance of Willow and Tara (Fangirlish • March 2022)
- ‘Willow and Tara gave me hope in a confusing time’: Queer women pay tribute to Buffy Heartstopper moment (Metro UK • June 2022)
Videos[]
References[]
[]
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| Buffy the Vampire Slayer Ships • Buffy the Vampire Slayer Characters | |||
| SHIPS | het | Bangel • Cangel • Fangel • Spuffy • Willoz | |
| femslash | Coffy • Frillow • Fuffy • Tillow • Wiffy | ||
| slash | Spander • Spangel | ||
| CHARACTERS | f/m | Angel • Buffy Summers | |