I think a full study of when Willow refers to herself in the third person and when she refers to herself in the first person should be undertaken and I volunteer myself (when I have free time) (so not for a while). It occurs to me, amusingly, that the other obvious occasion when she does so is in "Doppelgangland," where there is a lot of pronoun confusion ("What do I want with me?"), and Willow using the VampWillow outfit as an excuse to talk about traits that she dislikes about herself -- "She let everyone walk all over her, and then got mad at her friends for no reason! I just couldn't let her live." But yeah, I think that "Willow" is an identity/social construct -- I mean, it's a name, and it's a name that carries with it connotations that she doesn't like. Which, really, plays into the way names are used throughout the show; but I think it's interesting that "Willow" is used to signify "sweet, supportive, best friend, the girl we love and who doesn't hurt anyone else"; Buffy, Xander, Oz, Tara, Giles, Anya, Dawn, Snyder, Rack, Jonathan, etc. all have their own idea of who Willow is. Which, again, is very Doppelgangland. "I could cut class. You don't know!"

(In general, I find it odd when people say, after someone has done something, "That's not like you" -- as if there is a platonic ideal verson of that person who doesn't do what the person has just done.)

I think I've lost track of what the original point I wanted to make was.

And yes, someone should fic that. More broadly, assuming that Buffy couldn't overpower Willow out near the bus (and that Willow would have said that Tara was dead shortly thereafter): would Willow have stopped there? Or continued after Jonathan and Andrew? Turned herself in? Killed herself? End world hunger?