Willow the Witch... And her powers.

[Hostile_17]

We all agree that Willow is an amazing witch. That goes without saying. But I have to ask something I've been wondering for quite awhile. In one of the S7 episode, Willow telepathically communicates with Buffy and Xander. She gets into their mind and they form a mind without a single movement from the mouth part of their face. This made me wonder weather or not Willow has always had this power. Can Willow read minds and stuff? What are your thoughts?

[nerd4hire]

Willow communicated with Spike telepathically in the Gift during the fight for the tower. She communicated telepathically with the Scoobs in Bargaining 1 when she was co-ordinating the vamp hunt from atop the crypt.

From Bargaining -

WILLOW: (telepathically) Xander, Anya, stop!

Xander and Anya stop running, look startled.

XANDER: Great googly-moogly, Willow, would you quit doing that?

[eponinethen]

Yea it's actually kinda scary, since we know Willow can hear their thoughts (well at least if she chooses to do so, not like Buffy in Earshot). But I mean, through whole of season 6 and 7 she can read their minds... God, it would be scary to be around her...
But I guess it doesn't seem like she's able to do this, I mean we only see her do it a couple of times, but is she actually doing it all the time..? Probably not 'cause that would just be creepy, eh..

[Amber Benson]

I can hear thoughts :P Yea... I wish...


But yea, I thought that was sort of weird, how she never really used it all that much, nor did they really discuss it any further than the episodes themselves... That is one incredible power... Why not use it, or even talk about it? I'm sure it could have helped a lot with the baddies they faced... Made slayage a lot easier ;)

[phoenixrising]

As far as Willow, Buffy and Xander talking telepathically, maybe that's a side effect from the enjoining spell from the end of season 4.

[Amber Benson]

As far as Willow, Buffy and Xander talking telepathically, maybe that's a side effect from the enjoining spell from the end of season 4.


That could be it, in theory... But, correct me if I'm wrong, in Bargaining Pt1, doesn't Willow say she can hear all of their thoughts, including Anya and Spike, which is why it wasn't necessary for them to speak at all? Which means that it couldn't be the enjoining spell...

[nerd4hire]

Heres the scene from Bargaining -

TARA: (panting) I thought the big ones were supposed to tire more easily.
SPIKE: No, that's over-the-hill shopkeepers.
GILES: (leaning against a gravestone, panting) I'm fine. I just need to ... to die for a minute.
SPIKE: (to Tara) It was that powder you blew at him made him rabbit off.
TARA: It's sorbis root, it was supposed to confuse him, but ... it just kinda made him peppy.

Spike rolls his eyes.

TARA: It's not supposed to mix with anything, you think he might be taking prescription medication?
SPIKE: (sarcastic) Yeah, that must be it.
GILES: Good god, I hope he doesn't try to operate heavy machinery.

Giles and Spike laugh.

SPIKE: Yeah, we could all be in real-
WILLOW: (telepathically) Guys, heads up.

They all look up.

As the scene continues Willow orders all five around telepathically. In fact -

XANDER: Great googly-moogly, Willow, would you quit doing that?
WILLOW: (telepathically) I told you I was going to get the lay of the land.
XANDER: But not the lay of my brain.
ANYA: It's kind of intrusive. You could knock first or something.
WILLOW: (telepathically) Xander-
XANDER: I know, I know, I don't have to talk when I answer you. But I saw "The Fury," and that way lies spooky carnival death.

[eponinethen]

The only thing I can think of is that Willow chose not to use that power ('cause she must be able to shut it off because otherwise she'd go crazy like Buffy almost did), because it's not really fair to her friends and so on. But I guess she could still have used it on other people (like the nerds or something). And at least when she went Dark Willow in the end of season 6, I mean if she did read the minds of her "friends" then everything would have went a lot easier for her...

[Joamna]

Maybe Willow did some ritual with the others before she could read their mind, where they let her in to their minds. So the persons whose mind she's reading must have accepted it before she can do it. Otherwise wouldn't they have used it more often? Like instead of questioning people.

[eponinethen]

Yea but in The Gift she can't have done some ritual with Spike since he is all surprised when he hears her voice. Plus it's still weird she only uses her ability twice with Buffy and Xander... But I guess that can be like Willow and Tara almost never doing the same spell twice, even though it's an incredibly useful spell...

[Joamna]

Yea that's true. But maybe they all did they ritual before the big fight just in case, but Spike didn't expect it in that moment.. Kind of far-fetched perhaps :D

[eponinethen]

Lol yea I guess that's possible.. Don't really believe in it but I don't have a better explanation at the moment so.. heh.

[Xander]

Perhaps its very draining on her so she doesn't do it much, or is worried she'll go crazy like Buffy did. Or maybe, something more farfetched:

Willow can project her words into their heads, as seen above and rather than "reading her minds" she reads what they would say if they were to talk outloud. So this means if when she said "Xander, Anya, stop!" Xander could have been thinking at that moment "That grave looks like it says Mr Penis" but obviously never intended to say it outloud so Willow couldn't read it. Urgh that make sense?

[Joamna]

Xander: Yea it made sense to me. I was just thinking something similar. Like that it is a difference between thoughts and thoughts. Willow can't hear their subconscious thought.. and that they have to direct their thoughts in some way to Willow for her to hear them..

But also, when they are doing this, they can hear eachother too right? Like Buffy can hear Xander.. Then Willow must have put up some link between them all..

[eponinethen]

Hm, yea I don't think they could hear eachother's thought in Bargaining though, only when Willow decides they should..?

But yea, Ash, that kinda makes sense. As much as things can make sense in this discussion, yup, I thought something like that as well but it still doesn't really explain everything..

[Vampire Candy]

I dont remember that. But I remember when she did that with spike that time they were at the tower and glory was trying to open the demensions... I dunno what to think.

[Xin Rong]

Buffy and willow must at least be connected because its actually buffy who talks to willow first telepathically, i think Xanders explanations are most likely i.e. it takes too much power and can't here subconcious thoughts

[Charmed Jon]

I think it is cool, but did Willow like make a link between the 3. Because Buffy heard when Xander said (well, thought) something...

[Black Eye Guy]

I think the power is permanently on, but the difference between her and when Buffy got it in season 3 is Willow was prepared for it and can control it. Kinda like she can hear the thoughts but it's like background noise that she can ignore, But in Show Time Buffy actually called out to her specifically, saying her name to get Willows attention.

Kinda like if your in a crowed of people, the noise doesn't drive you mad, and if someone started calling your name you usually hear it.

[ILLYRIAN]

Willow could read anyone's thought any time, how-ever after hearing Xanders thoughts, sex, sex, sex, sex, sex, linoleum, sex, sex, sex, enough to put anyone off reading thoughts !.