#esther asks

So Darcy ends up having a more personal dynamic with Angelus than Angel at first. Angel is just Buffy’s vampire boyfriend who broods. But Angelus becomes significant to Darcy’s character arc. Darcy is mostly fearless when it comes to confronting the supernatural, she’s been searching for it for years, will throw herself headfirst into danger. But Angelus gets under her skin, truly scares her, but that doesn’t stop her from trusting him when she has a bit of a dark arc. In s2 she is singularly focused on growing her newly found magically abilities and after a series of betrayals, she grows distant from her mother and the Scoobies. Angelus reveals one of Esther’s many secrets and shows Darcy a way to grow her power. So she sorta trusts him. Has no (intentional, known) involvement in his plans. She’s blatantly honest with everyone about using him for her own means, but Angelus is a manipulative bastard and doesn’t tell Darcy everything he knows. It’s a bit of twisted complex relationship because he brings out the worst in her and she feels connected to him. When Angel is restored and Darcy eventually joins Angel Investigations, they become closer because Darcy knows the worst of him and it brought out the worst in her, so Angel is more motivated to keep himself in check, remembering what Angelus put her through. 

As Giles acts Team Dad, Esther is the undisputed Team Mom for the scoobies. Giles and Esther work as a solid parenting unit, while both tries to hide their shady pasts. She becomes especially protective of Buffy after Joyce learns the truth and Joyce’s not so great reaction. There’s a bit of a Mom vs Mom battle between them as Esther becomes a more supportive maternal figure. Buffy can actually come to Esther for advice on things like dating and balance Slayer duties because Esther gets it. Esther also becomes involved in Willow learning more about magic, being honest and warning her about the dangers of it. 

Darcy’s dynamic with the Scoobies has its ups and downs. Cordelia and Darcy get along incredibly well once Cordy becomes part of the team more, They both are brutally honest with everyone and appreciate that quality in each other. Giles is the closest Darcy has ever had to a father and he is the one who starts teaching her some magic, but it’s all theory and study and he won’t let her perform any actual spells. Darcy can’t really stand Xander, does not understand what Cordy sees in him. Her sheer dislike of him prevents her from falling under that love spell he cast. Darcy and Xander will clash a lot throughout the series. She thinks Willow and Oz are adorable but becomes lowkey bitter about the attention Esther starts to pay to Willow. During Darcy’s s2 dark arc, Buffy will try to stop her, so they will fight. But ironically by s3 Darcy becomes Buffy’s unwavering supporter. She defends Buffy and her choice to run away to the rest of the Scoobies. She becomes Buffy’s confidant and helps her hide the newly returned Angel. 

Bonus: here’s an angel and darcy gif of them talking post angelus