E S S A Y S
Writing Dawn: Chosen and Beyond by Regina
So, Buffy is over. All our favorite characters have ridden off into the sunset. Sure, they were on a bus instead of horses, but this is Buffy. Since when have things ever been normal.
Now that there are no more new episodes, no more character development, a fic writer faces that classic post series slump. What do you do now? How do you handle this when so many options are spread out before you? Well, you get creative.
However, while writing post Season Seven fiction will depend mostly on the writer’s imagination and vision, it is still very important to draw on the characterization we’ve already seen when crafting your characters.
In other words, it wouldn’t be the most believable thing in the world if Dawn hopped off the bus near Vegas and decided to become a showgirl. Fun, sure, but not believable.
So what is believable for Dawn post Season Seven? Well, it’s somewhat hard to say. Season Seven didn’t do tons in the way of developing Dawn’s character, but what it did give us goes a long way in explaining who Dawn is as a person now. So, without further adieu, I gave you the 5 main keys to post Season Seven Dawn:
1. Dawn is no longer a little girl.
If Him taught us anything, it’s that Dawn is no longer a kid. Sure, she was under the thrall of the magical jacket of testosterone, but still. That dancing? That outfit? Dawn is not afraid of her body, or who she’s becoming. However, we also saw that when it comes to boys, she’s still very awkward. If you’re writing her in a relationship, she’s not going to be an instant sex-kitten. There will still be the normal insecurities, but after an adjustment period, it wouldn’t be off the wall to write Dawn as a sexy, mature young woman in a relationship.
2. Dawn has accepted herself.
A large part of both Season Five and Season Six was Dawn’s struggle to find herself, and to be accepted by the others. She felt ignored, insignificant, passed over. In Season Seven, however, we saw a more mature, more self aware Dawn. Potential was perhaps the best indicator of this growth. We saw how Dawn was secretly thrilled to be named a Potential Slayer. This would have given her a role in the group, a purpose, an identity. However, that wasn’t to be. While in Season Six this may have brought on a tantrum, Dawn instead accepted it, and went back to helping the others with research.
3. Speaking of research, meet Ms. Watcher Junior.
What seemed like a throwaway line in Chosen, “It’s cool. Watcher Junior to the library,” could actually be a very good indicator of Dawn’s future role in the Scooby Gang. All throughout Season Seven, she contributed to the research willingly, often being instrumental in information finding, such as in Get It Done.
4. She’s not too shabby with a sword, either.
In Grave, the Season Six finale, Dawn surprised both Buffy and the audience by kicking some root-monster butt. Throughout Season Seven, her skill at fighting only improved. She proved quite capable of defending herself on several occasions. This is not only important in how she now fits into the Scooby Gang, it also has an impact on her relationship with Buffy. Dawn is no longer the helpless victim. She’s become independent and self sufficient, making her more of her own person and less of an extension of Buffy. Buffy has shown her acceptance and understanding of this by giving Dawn more freedom and responsibility within the confines of the Scooby Gang.
5. Dawn can deal.
“No. Anything you say is going to sound like goodbye.” Those were the words Dawn chose to say to her sister in Chosen, knowing they could be her last. We see later on that while Dawn is still quite worried about Buffy, staring out of the bus window hoping to see her, she wasn’t going to make a big mushy speech. She realized the reality of the situation, that Buffy may not get out of alive. She realized it, and accepted it. This is quite a change from the Dawn of the past, who understandably took Joyce, Buffy, and Tara’s deaths quite hard. This time, she realized that death is a reality of life, and while she didn’t have to like it, she did have to accept it. Dawn has come to accept the realities of life, especially the one she leads. So, basically, the uber-whiny Dawn of seasons past is pretty much non-existent.
While this is no way a comprehensive guide to where Dawn stands now, it is a good starting off point to writing Dawn post Season Seven. So if you’re dead set on that “Dawn is a Vegas showgirl” fic, just make sure she’s a . . .self aware showgirl.