My Darla, and other misfits

[selenak]

I seem to have a thing for relatively unpopular characters. I mean, there’s Cassandra in Highlander, Quark in DS9, Rygel in Farscape, and Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars. Londo, G’kar and Vir in Babylon 5 aren’t unpopular, just neglected by fanfic, but I always liked Bester, and not in a “love to hate” fashion. And when everybody sighed over Xander and Willow in the early seasons of BTVS, I went for Cordelia. (Didn’t fall out of love until season 3 of AtS and the Saint Cordy desaster. Boy, am I grateful for the Jasmine retcon!) Then there is Buffy herself – later Buffy in particular, who became my favourite character. There is Wesley before he became fashionable (i.e. in the third season of BTVS, when I was sorry for him, and in the first season of AtS, when I fell in love right with “Parting Gifts” and decidedly did not want Doyle back). There is (grown up) Connor, who helped me over my period of doubt with AtS from “A New World” onwards and whom I would endure any number of baby episodes for. There is the entire Trio in general and as you could see Warren in particular. (No, not in a “love to hate” fashion, either.) But the character which captured my fannish imagination so much I wrote most of my Jossverse stories about her, a character who caused lots and lots of complaints in her time, is Darla. So this is my meme about my darling girl, with thanks to honorh, who challenged me to write it.

My Darla...

- really doesn’t remember her first name, but thinks it might have been Elizabeth
- which is better than Bessie (her other guess)
- is still grateful for the French Revolution and the Empire because it liberated women from corsets for about two decades
- made it her personal mission to track down and torture the fashion queens who brought corsets back
- thinks Lindsey is dishy, but never had sex with him
- because she knew he was the always-longing-for-what-he-can’t-have type
- but she wanted to suggest a threesome to both him and Angel anyway, just to see their faces
- alas, she never got them in the same room at the same time
- never forgave Lindsey for her second turning, which has nothing to do with the above
- permitted Dru to keep Spike because he could carry the luggage when the Fangsome Foursome were travelling
- and for soothing Dru out of her fits
- but she never would have tolerated Mother
- deferred to Angel(us) in public in ye olde days, but never in private
- loves Artemisia Gentileschi best of all the painters
- has a thing for candles
- once seduced Gustave Eiffel for a personal private tour of the Eiffel tower before it got opened for the public
- had to wear the Catholic School Girl look of season 1 BTVS because the Master still was disgruntled over her century and a half with the stallion
- was Daniel Defoe’s model for Moll Flanders
- would have killed Holland Manners even if she had remained mortal
- thought someone should have sired Jim Morrison, but is glad she didn’t
- because one darling boy is enough
- saw Cordelia as annoying, but wouldn’t have minded more than one bite
- has a thing for brunettes
- wasn’t joking when she said Holtz was almost like family now
- really had accepted mortal death at the end of “The Trial”
- never was truly happy again after her resurrection(s) in recent years
- except in the moment before her final death, when she was at peace with Angel and Connor.

Comments

Always love your Darla!

[honorh.livejournal.com]

Er, you are aware that "Bessie" is a nickname for "Elizabeth," aren't you?

She'd most definitely have loved Artemisia, especially when she knew the woman's story. Love the image of her loading Spike up with luggage--she would do that, wouldn't she?

And I'd have loved to see Angel's and Lindsey's faces at the idea of a threesome, too. You know both of them were thinking it, but would never admit it!

Re: Always love your Darla!

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Er, you are aware that "Bessie" is a nickname for "Elizabeth," aren't you?

Yes. That is in fact the point. Being called Elizabeth would have been common enough, since quite a lot of girls were at the time of Darla's birth (Gloriana was Queen then), but being called with a derivative, and a cutesy one that sounds suspiciously like B-y...

Luggage: of course she would.

Artemisia: you are a woman who knows her art and her artists.*g*

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

Quark wasn't popular? I'm totally shocked. I love that guy.

And I love your Darla.

Thanks for the love.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Quark: I'm assuming, of course, and base this assumption on the fact that there were constant whines in the magazines and on the net about the Ferengi episodes. Plus the complete lack of Quark-centric fanfic.

Hm. Will I write a "My Quark" meme next despite never having penned a single Trek fic?

[scarlettfish.livejournal.com]

Thank you for that. I love Darla too, and it's so rare that you ever see anything written about her. I very much agreed with all your points :)

True, Darla analysis and fanfic is rare, but...

[selenak.livejournal.com]

...what there is is mostly good. Shameless advertising alert: have you read my stories?

Re: True, Darla analysis and fanfic is rare, but...

[scarlettfish.livejournal.com]

Nope, but would be very interested in any ones you want to point me in the direction of! :)

You're right, Darla stuff is few and far between, but I've been really impressed with what I've read. Makes me want to go and watch 'Darla' and 'The Trial' again, actually.

my stories...

[selenak.livejournal.com]

are here (http://www.fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=6273).

And one can never watch these episodes too often.*g*

[(Anonymous)]

Love it.

The idea of an Angel/Darla/Lindsey threesome isn't doing anything to help me keep cool in our present steamy temperature *g*.

Kathy

[asta77.livejournal.com]

Rygel was the first character I really adored on Farscape. Well, up until we were introduced to Ben in his leather Peacekeeper gear. ::drools:: Rygel was such a self-centered, self-serving, yet entertaining little bastard. But, occassionaly, he had this annoying habit of actually coming up with a good plan or risking himself to help the others. He was truly becoming a better 'person' at the end. I would have been fascinated to see where they went with him in the fifth season.

Hooray for Rygel adoration!

[selenak.livejournal.com]

And yes, it's just one more reason to wish for a fifth season. Frell.

[anonymous_sibyl]

Your Darla is very similar to mine. :-)

[cadesama.livejournal.com]

Don't mention Cordy! It'll just make me cling to my tv when Buffy S3 is on while I sob for the loss of her personality.

And can I say? I. Love. Your. Darla. So very AtS!Darla - the superior breed. Of course I *did* have a friend who was a fan of BtVS!Darla and complained that she wasn't in The Wish. But he was . . . weird.