See, she doesn't feel 14 to me at all. I'm not saying I was ridiculously mature at 14, but both my little sister and I were left alone by our parents and were babysitting toddlers by that age. We did not have babysitters, as she has even before they know about Glory. I have always chalked this up to Buffy and Joyce instinctively feeling a need to protect Dawn from something, even if they don't know what it is. Joyce all but implies this after her brain tumor reveals Dawn's nature.
She reads much more as an 11 or 12-year-old to me during that season. 14 is freshman year of high school, and while higher schoolers are immature, they aren't that immature. See, I think that Dawn's monologue in "Tough Love" (about not knowing if she can be good) and actions in "The Gift" (being absolutely ready to jump the moment the portal opens) speak of a maturity that I think fits a 14 year old. She's a bit childish early in the season because Buffy and Joyce infantilize her all the time.
In general, I don't think it's usually a good idea, but in this case it doesn't bother me: she's matured a ton, they've known each other for a while, and Xander's always been immature for his age. I actually do think they're on the same level and have similar levels of life experience here. Yeah I mean, of all the 19 year olds and 25 year olds in the world they are probably the two most on the same wavelength despite that age gap. I just think Dawn should be with someone her own age until she has been through the crucible that is late adolescence, personally.
I don't know, though: I think Anya's death could have been his wake-up call, especially since I think he grew up a lot in S7. I'd buy this more if he ever, ever talked about Anya in the comics. I only read the first two arcs, so maybe he has been more lately? But it's like she never existed, and I find his cracking jokes soon after her death in "Chosen" kind of glib and unpleasant, even if there wasn't much else they could do if they wanted to end on a happy note.
I'd like to see her take a while off from the world of Slayers, go to college and be normal for a while, and then maybe come back and be a Watcher. She'd be a good one. This is my dream for Dawn, yes. Though honestly I always wished she'd been the one to wear the amulet in "Chosen", but on some level this relates to my many Problems With Spike's Arc.
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I have always chalked this up to Buffy and Joyce instinctively feeling a need to protect Dawn from something, even if they don't know what it is. Joyce all but implies this after her brain tumor reveals Dawn's nature.
She reads much more as an 11 or 12-year-old to me during that season. 14 is freshman year of high school, and while higher schoolers are immature, they aren't that immature.
See, I think that Dawn's monologue in "Tough Love" (about not knowing if she can be good) and actions in "The Gift" (being absolutely ready to jump the moment the portal opens) speak of a maturity that I think fits a 14 year old. She's a bit childish early in the season because Buffy and Joyce infantilize her all the time.
In general, I don't think it's usually a good idea, but in this case it doesn't bother me: she's matured a ton, they've known each other for a while, and Xander's always been immature for his age. I actually do think they're on the same level and have similar levels of life experience here.
Yeah I mean, of all the 19 year olds and 25 year olds in the world they are probably the two most on the same wavelength despite that age gap. I just think Dawn should be with someone her own age until she has been through the crucible that is late adolescence, personally.
I don't know, though: I think Anya's death could have been his wake-up call, especially since I think he grew up a lot in S7.
I'd buy this more if he ever, ever talked about Anya in the comics. I only read the first two arcs, so maybe he has been more lately? But it's like she never existed, and I find his cracking jokes soon after her death in "Chosen" kind of glib and unpleasant, even if there wasn't much else they could do if they wanted to end on a happy note.
I'd like to see her take a while off from the world of Slayers, go to college and be normal for a while, and then maybe come back and be a Watcher. She'd be a good one.
This is my dream for Dawn, yes. Though honestly I always wished she'd been the one to wear the amulet in "Chosen", but on some level this relates to my many Problems With Spike's Arc.