What's This Bitch Talking About? Helpless

Most sexist episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer? But maybe that was the point?

What's This Bitch Talking About? Becoming, Part 2

In this week's installment of "What's This Bitch Talking About? a Buffy Podcast" I talk about the last episode of season 2 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Would you like to cry from the sheer power of Sarah McLachlan? Press play below, if you dare...



Listen to my podcast. It is good.

What's This Bitch Talking About? Ted

Deep breath. We gotta do it, but after tonight, "Ted" goes in the Official Buffy Vault to be locked away never to be seen (by me) again because it's TRIGGERING af. It's the scariest episode of Buffy EVER. Giles puts it perfectly-- "subtext is rapidly becoming text".

What's This Bitch Talking About? What's My Line (part 2)

Drusilla, "my black goddess, my ripe wicked plum", is back to her full strength! Let us rejoice.

What's This Bitch Talking About? What's My Line (part 1)

Mixtress Rae is watching every episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer exactly 20 years after its original airdate in the U.S. This week, "What's My Line, part 1".

Music mentioned in this episode: 
Vivaldi's "Spring"
Mixtress Rae’s “Radio Sunnydale” playlist featuring the best songs from Buffy in order of appearance on the show: http://spoti.fi/2oKN456



*website: mixtressrae.com
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*email: mixtressradio@gmail.com
*paypal: paypal.me/mixtressrae ($5 for a personal message, $10 for a business message)

Only $40 to go on my GoFundMe. Help me out if you can. Thanks!

What's This Bitch Talking About? Halloween

Mixtress Rae is watching every episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer exactly 20 years after its original airdate in the U.S. This week, this bitch is talking about Season 2 episode 6 entitled "Halloween".

Mixtress Rae’s “Radio Sunnydale” playlist featuring the best songs from Buffy in order of appearance on the show: http://spoti.fi/2oKN456

Help me pay for this podcast and I'll love you forever: gofundme.com/mixtressradio

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*email: mixtressradio@gmail.com

*paypal: paypal.me/mixtressrae ($5 for a personal message, $10 for a business message)

What's This Bitch Talking About? School Hard

There's a podcast. You can listen to it if you want to...

What's This Bitch Talking About? ep 39

That's right, llamas and goats. I'm baaaaaaack. On this episode of "What's This Bitch Talking About?" I dissect five common opinions about Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Is Dawn annoying? Does Kennedy suck? Is Riley Buffy's worst boyfriend? Do we hate The Trio? Is Spike irredeemable after his actions in "Seeing Red"?

*website: mixtressrae.com

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The Trio: Andrew, Warren, and Jonathan

What's This Bitch Talking About? ep 32 & Buffy: The Puppet Show

What's This Bitch Talking About?

*Gender Identity/Performance
*the Netflix series GirlBoss
*Planet Earth II
*your weekly librarian whimperings about change

-- Sestra Playlist --

What (else) is This Bitch Talking About?

*episode 9 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer "The Puppet Show"

Mixtress Rae is embarking upon a project wherein she watches every episode of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" exactly 20 years after its original airdate in the U.S. This will typically present as a weekly supplemental episode to the "What's This Bitch Talking About?" podcast, though at times it will be more sporadic due to the nature of the project. There will often be drinking games and signature cocktails named after key characters in the show presented in the podcast.

MixtressRae's 2011 blog recap of "The Puppet Show":  http://mixtressrae.blogspot.com/2011/03/puppet-show.html

Mixtress Rae’s “Radio Sunnydale” playlist featuring the best songs from Buffy in order of appearance on the show: http://spoti.fi/2oKN456

*website: mixtressrae.com
*social medias: mixtressrae
*email: mixtressradio@gmail.com
*paypal: paypal.me/mixtressrae ($5 for a personal message, $10 for a business message)

What's This Bitch Talking About? ep 30 and How I Met Buffy the Vampire Slayer

There wasn't an episode of Buffy 20 years ago this week, so I recorded a little ramble session about how I came to know the show. I feel like I grew up with Buffy (the character) because she's just two years older than me. Anyway, if ya wanna hear me talk about THAT for 45 minutes, listen to the podcast. :D

Next week: "I Robot, You Jane"!! We get to meet Jenny Calendar and get that infamous quote from Giles about book-smelling. Can't wait!



"What's This Bitch Talking About?" this week:

*more library ramblings....like a LOT of really specific library ramblings
*I went back to my ex...the iPod Classic
*Featured Pop Culture: Fiercely You by Jackie Huba
*celebrating 20 years of Delerium's best album imho "Karma"

What's This Bitch Talking About? is the podcast version of Mixtress Radio (airs every Friday from 7-11pm CST on mixtressrae.com) Most of the songs mentioned are contained in the Sestra Playlist, link above.




*website: mixtressrae.com

*social medias: mixtressrae

*email: mixtressradio@gmail.com

*paypal: paypal.me/mixtressrae ($5 for a personal message, $10 for a business message)

What's This Bitch Talking About? ep 27 and Buffy: Never Kill a Boy on the First Date

In this episode of "What's This Bitch Talking About?" podcast there will be discussions of Rupaul's Drag Race Season 9, Lana Del Rey, and #librarylife

This episode is recorded in stereo with my new Tascam DR-05 digital recorder. What do you think?

Sestra Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/user/mixtressrae/playlist/4cJBDAoRSMolJur7IYyiuc

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What's This Bitch Talking About? is the podcast version of Mixtress Radio (airs every Friday from 7-11pm CST on mixtressrae.com) Most of the songs mentioned are contained in the Sestra Playlist, link above.

Buffy in a fuzzy tiger coat sipping gas-station soda is my current mood forever, amen.

I am embarking upon a project wherein I watch every episode of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" exactly 20 years after its original airdate in the U.S. This will typically present as a weekly supplemental episode to my "What's This Bitch Talking About?" podcast, though at times it will be more sporadic due to the nature of the project. There will often be drinking games and signature cocktails named after key characters in the show presented in the podcast.

This episode is half Entertainment Weekly Buffy cast reunion over-analysis and half recap of "Never Kill a Boy on the First Date" featuring guest DJ Michael!!

MixtressRae's 2011 blog recap of "Never Kill a Boy on the First Date": http://mixtressrae.blogspot.com/2011/03/never-kill-boy-on-first-date.html

Music mentioned in this episode: Velvet Chain's "Strong" and "Treason"

*website: mixtressrae.com
*social medias: mixtressrae
*email: mixtressradio@gmail.com
*paypal: paypal.me/mixtressrae ($5 for a personal message, $10 for a business message)

What's This Bitch Talking About? ep 26 and Buffy: Teacher's Pet

This week on "What's This Bitch Talking About?":

*Sandman: Overture
*Marissa Meyer's Heartless
*Depeche Mode's Spirit
*Why Marilyn Manson will never happen again
*#trypod

Sestra Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/user/mixtressrae/playlist/04kkPXcarj1x18xdaZ97By

See supplemental podcast episode discussing Buffy's fourth episode entitled "Teacher's Pet". There will be drinking, velour shirts, and bad B-movie praying mantis creatures. Aaaaaaah!

What's This Bitch Talking About? is the podcast version of Mixtress Radio (airs every Friday from 7-11pm CST on mixtressrae.com) Most of the songs mentioned are contained in the Sestra Playlist, link above.




*website: mixtressrae.com

*social medias: mixtressrae

*email: mixtressradio@gmail.com

*paypal: paypal.me/mixtressrae ($5 for a personal message, $10 for a business message)

What's This Bitch Talking About? ep 25 and Buffy: The Witch

Sestra Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/user/mixtressrae/playlist/74xYZMGVZs7nWJGL1dHVUL

This episode I talk about my renewed lease on life, Marissa Meyer's "Heartless", the movie Contact, Buffy, and other stuff! Also, I do my first ASMR segment on the podcast!! Let me know if you'd like to hear more of these!

What's This Bitch Talking About? is the podcast version of Mixtress Radio (airs every Friday from 7-11pm CST on mixtressrae.com) Most of the songs mentioned are contained in the Sestra Playlist, link above.


*website: mixtressrae.com
*social medias: mixtressrae
*email: mixtressradio@gmail.com
*paypal: paypal.me/mixtressrae ($5 for a personal message, $10 for a business message)



^^^Above is the supplemental Buffy episode of "What's This Bitch Talking About?" podcast recapping/philosophizing the third episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer entitled "The Witch".

What's This Bitch Talking About? ep 24

Sestra Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/user/mixtressrae/playlist/0lpItCs57jjLneGalojOvc

The time has FINALLY come for me to start my Buffy project I conceived around two years ago. March 10, 2017 marks the 20 year anniversary of the airing of the first and second episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I am watching each episode exactly 20 years after it originally aired. This will be a project that takes me 7 years to complete. I. am. so. excited!!!!!!!!

There's that RING! If anyone ever finds a ring like that,
let me know IMMEDIATELY. Thankyou.

The podcast will largely comprise of a recap of the first two episodes of Buffy entitled "Welcome to the Hellmouth" and "The Harvest". I will also be outlining my current adventures in root canals and  listening to vaporwave pretty much constantly in the last couple of weeks.

My 2011 recap of "Welcome to the Hellmouth": http://mixtressrae.blogspot.com/2011/03/welcome-to-hellmouth.html

My 2011 recap of "The Harvest": http://mixtressrae.blogspot.com/2011/03/harvest.html

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What's This Bitch Talking About? is the podcast version of Mixtress Radio (airs every Friday from 7-11pm CST on mixtressrae.com) Most of the songs mentioned are contained in the Sestra Playlist, link above.

*website: mixtressrae.com
*social medias: mixtressrae
*email: mixtressradio@gmail.com
*paypal: paypal.me/mixtressrae ($5 for a personal message, $10 for a business message)

What's This Bitch Talking About? ep 23

Sestra Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/user/mixtressrae/playlist/3E0Dvx2IWcpuAA2kHCFATr

Topics:

*the Oscars
*Processing: of the Existential, Financial, and Psychological Variety
*Buffy the Vampire Slayer

What's This Bitch Talking About? is the podcast version of Mixtress Radio (airs every Friday from 7-11pm CST on mixtressrae.com) Most of the songs mentioned are contained in the Sestra Playlist, link above.

Buffy: The Music

Buffy the Vampire Slayer showcased a lot of indie bands from the '90s in its 7-year run. It's been a goal of mine as a mixtress to make the COMPLETE Buffy playlist including all songs from the show in order of appearance and I have finally DONE IT!!! The mix is missing a good 20% of the songs because Spotify doesn't have everything, but I got pretty close.

I hope you will enjoy this playlist. I also have another one that includes the songs from Buffy in order of appearance that I love. This is the playlist I can play from beginning to end without skipping anything.

Sources:

*buffyguide.com (incredible online episode guide, but missing guide for seasons 6 and 7)
*Bite Me! by Nikki Stafford (very good book resource)
*The Complete Slayer by Keith Topping (this book is problematic [sexist, fat-phobic, riddled with inaccuracies], but it does list most of the songs)

MixtressRae's Top Ten TV Shows of All Time.

You've waited with baited* breath (what does that even MEAN, baited breath? like your breath is the bait or you have bait in your mouth or...?) for almost two whole weeks.

*Turns out, < thank you Richie!! I owe you yet another drink. > that the term is "bated breath" and it means that your breath stinks of anticipation and suspense.

I scored each episode on five different criteria (characters, story, quotability, emotion/laughter, and feminism) on a scale of 1-10. I then scored the series as a whole on similar criteria (characters, story arc, "stickiness", coping, and feminism), also on a scale of 1-10. I averaged both the episode's score and the series' score, then averaged those two scores to get my total. For more on what my criteria mean, go to here.

Here they are, my top ten TV shows of all time: 

Coming in at #10 is Star Trek: The Next Generation

Favorite character: Data

Final Score: 5.8

#9: Gilmore Girls

Favorite Character: Lorelai Gilmore (ha, they're BOTH named Lorelai Gilmore!)

Final Score: 6.1

#8: Firefly

Favorite Character: Wash (above)

Final Score: 6.3

#7: F.R.I.E.N.D.S.

Favorite Character: Phoebe Buffay

Final Score: 6.4

#6: Dollhouse

Favorite Character: Topher Brink

Final Score: 6.5

Are you ready for the Top 5?!?! No? I think you can handle it. The following television is the best that television has to offer. I know, because I did a very scientific experiment. ;)

#5: New Girl

Favorite Character: Jessica Day

Final Score: 6.5

#4: Rupaul's Drag Race

Favorite Character: Sharon Needles from season 4

Final Score: 7

#3: The Office (US version)

Favorite Character: Dwight Schrute

Final Score: 7

#2: Parks and Recreation

Favorite Character: Leslie Knope

Final Score: 7.3

yes, I will use this gif of Buffy for any reason whatsoever.

#1: Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Favorite Character: Buffy Summers

Final Score: 9.4

Buffy's "Restless" Revisited.

As described in my last blog entry, I am on a quest to find my top ten TV shows of all time. I have a chart and there's math involved. It's all very organized and methodical. I chose to watch my favorite episode of each of the top 12 contenders, assessing both the episode and the show as a whole on several different criteria.

There's no contest for the top spot on my list of television. Buffy the Vampire Slayer has crawled into my lizard brain, coating the bean of my being (what?) with a light glaze of Summers' blood. I couldn't escape the power of Buffy even if I wanted to, and I'll never want to escape the Slayer's superpowered grip on my psyche. There's a black hole in my personal history that occurred during the last couple of years of high school followed by the couple of years after that. I was in a dark place with a terrible man at my side. In 2001 I was reunited with Buffy Summers when the show appeared on UPN late at night after it wasn't available to me for all of seasons 4 and 5. Mercifully, I got to watch seasons 6 and 7 as they aired. If you're not familiar with Buffy's arc, season 6 was the season that each character was their own "Big Bad". Their angst was so pervasive that they destroyed themselves episode after episode. It was heartbreaking. I cried every week, copious tears of recognition and solace. I saw my boyfriend in Spike, the character that mentally manipulated/verbally abused Buffy. Spike attempted to rape Buffy that season. I started using the name in my online blogs in place of my boyfriend's real name. I wouldn't leave my Spike until 2003, about five years too late. Were it not for Buffy I would have sunk, maybe irretrievably, deeper into that hole.

Am I attributing too much to a TV show? Perhaps, but I say all this to express that my relationship with Buffy is emotional. She is an icon that's imperfect, badass, and relatable. The character was only two years older than me. Her struggles were my struggles, though mine dealt far less in metaphor, unfortunately.

I'll reveal the scores I gave each episode and show at the end of my assessments, but I wanted to speak to my feelings while viewing each piece of entertainment.

Buffy's "Restless" is the last episode of season 4. In atypical season-ending fashion, the "Big Bad" of the season had already been defeated. This is an episode of dreams. We get to see into the psyches of Xander, Giles, Buffy and Willow and it is fantastic. Joss Whedon is the only writer that has ever successfully filmed dreams, in my opinion. In this episode alone, he gets the odd flow of the dreamworld exactly right. Things are said that make sense only in dream-speak. Words are spoken in languages not understood by the dreamer for a character that often doesn't understand in real life (Xander). Metaphors are employed in the ridiculous way of dreams. It is an episode filmed as if underwater, as restorative as a nap.



The score of this episode is minimal, meditative, and sensory. There's a sequence wherein Buffy reaches into a medicine bag full of clay, then rubs it into her face and walks slowly through the desert. The music and picture above are from that scene. It's breathtaking. I don't think I've ever watched this episode out of sequence. It was a fantastic experience. It was a breath. In one episode, the psyche of each character was revealed, mostly through images. Almost every one of my favorite characters (Tara, Oz, Anya, Harmony, etc) makes an appearance here. Tara is sort of the spiritual guide of the dreams, speaking in low-ASMR tones saying things like:

which is equal parts foreboding, as to the later-revealed nature of the Slayer, and simply gorgeous dream-flavored existentialism revelatory of Buffy's view on herself. This statement is so wholly indicative of identity's fluidity over the span of one's life, too. Go ahead, try to grasp what you are. You can't, though we'll spend our lifetimes trying.

In the best episodes of Buffy, most symbolism employed within works on several levels and can be applied upon many different situations. The best art leaves itself open for the viewer to impose one's own interpretation upon it, without the burden of authorship intent impeding, trampling your experience. Buffy is seldom ever heavy-handed in its approach to symbolism. Even inside the dreams of specific characters you've known for four years, one doesn't feel oppression from already knowing their history conflicting with your projections of their dreamworld. In other words, it's easy to tell what their dreams mean to them while simultaneously pulling what YOU need from their dreams into yourself.

Without question, this is my favorite episode of television ever, which makes it hard to quantify it with worrrrrrds. Words pale in comparison to the feeeeeeels. I feel existential calm when watching "Restless". I feel warmth and peace. I am in awe and completely engaged every moment. Most television and movies I enjoy have those parts that you dread or want to fast-forward through. Not "Restless". Nothing in this episode is wasted. Every image, everything going on in the background, every sound, every word uttered is carefully placed and multidimensional in meaning.

Plus, it's a really funny and quotable episode.

comfort culture.

You know how you eat macaroni and cheese when you’ve had a bad day at work, or maybe drink a beer? Of course you know, because comfort FOODS are often mentioned in America’s vocabulary. But what about comfort culture? What’s your personal pizza of television, the mashed potatoes of movies, and the fish sticks of sound? While you’re contemplating the dark chocolate paperback that calms your addled mind after a stressful day, I’ll share with you some of my pop culture comforts.

*TV series: Buffy the Vampire Slayer — It’s no secret that Buffy is my favorite nugget of pop culture ever. Joss Whedon’s vision of girl superpowers has entertained my eyes, ears and soul since 1998. The Slayer has lulled me to sleep through some of the darkest evenings of my life, quite possibly the only reason nightmares didn’t engulf me in my early ‘20s. If you’ve avoided this show because of the title’s cheesiness alone, stop denying yourself one of the most influential shows of the 20th century. Buffy could change your life.

Get it: Netflix, Hulu, video stores

Me today celebrating National Library Workers
Week. I'm part Vulcan, you know.

*TV franchise: Star Trek — For the past 4 years or so, Star Trek has been my before-bed ritual. Not every night, but at least a couple of nights per week. If the plot is peaceful, I might fall asleep to the gentle hum of the starship. The DVD menu screen of “The Next Generation” is like white noise bliss to me. Don’t misinterpret, falling asleep to Star Trek isn’t a diss. I LOVE the franchise, but I have this calm and familiar relationship with it. I know I will rewatch each series of Star Trek over and over until I die of really old age, so there’s no sense of loss if I dream through episodes here and there.

Get it: Netflix, video stores

*Album: Air // Talkie Walkie — This album used to be my study soundtrack in college. When I hear the first notes of “Venus” I am instantly transformed back to that space of settling in for a quiet night with books, coffee, and gritty knowledge. Yeah, thinking about studying chills me out. Obviously, I’m a nerd.

Get it: Spotify, iTunes, Google Music, music stores

*Movie: Bandits — Not many people realize the brilliance of the 2001 film starring Cate Blanchett, Bruce Willis, and Billy Bob Thornton. The performances are buzzing with anxiety, emotion, and genuine crazy, an aspect of pop culture that always soothes me…to see others fraying onscreen makes me feel less nuts. Plus, this movie is hilarious if you like understated David Letterman-type humor.

Get it: Netflix, video stores

*Book: Drawing Blood // Poppy Z Brite — In the summer, my brain turns to a soupy-slosh of jumbled thoughts and baking grey matter. It is my least favorite season. To get through the sizzling flames of August, I usually end up reading this lurid tale of two young lovers surviving a summer in New Orleans. The pages are filled with ghosts/psychological demons, children of the night, and early ‘90s-style computer hacking.

Get it: the Joplin Public Library (the very copy I first read in high school!), bookstores

Email me your comfort culture items: mixtressrae@yahoo.com

Top 5 Buffy Significant Others.

Y'all know I have a RELATIONSHIP with Buffy the Vampire Slayer. What you may not have known is that upon each re-watch I fall more in love with a different character I may have overlooked before.

I give you my current top 5 characters in Buffy I would so totally date if they were real and I weren't happily married to a man who embodies qualities of all 5 (yes, even the Honorable Mention, Michael. Embrace the similarities!). Oh, um *spoilers* ahead, if you care about that kind of thing.

#5 -- Giles.

Admittedly, though I do at times find him sexy as hell, what I really want from Giles is for him to be to me what he is to Buffy. He gets to be on the list because a) the older I get the more attractive I find him and b) if I were Giles' age and lived in the Buffyverse, I'd totally ask him out. Back to wanting him to be my dad though (ok, that sounded gross. Someone that isn't your dad you can find attractive AND want him to be your dad, right?)...

Giles is smart, protective, witty, goofy, and wise. My whole life I've chosen men in pop culture to be the "dad I never had" (It's a whole thing, but my dad and I were at odds most of my childhood. He wasn't really a "dad" so much as an adult who yelled at me every other weekend. We made up before his death in 2011, but our relationship was never easy.) in my mind, and Giles is really the most satisfying example of a father figure in pop culture. Though he did betray Buffy that one time (he tried to help Wood kill Spike in season 7), he was otherwise consistently supportive of Buffy without coddling her or sugar-coating life. He was willing to say and do the hard things (confronting Willow after bringing B back from the dead, killing Ben when Buffy couldn't, etc) while still being unquestioningly there for Buffy (When her mom dies, that moment when he immediately belays his reaction to comfort Buffy within an INSTANT of realizing what has happened just KILLS me.). If all dads could be like Giles, Cliff Huxtable, and Red from That '70s Show we'd all turn out just FINE, thank you.

#4 -- Spike.

Spike used to be my #1 Blondie Bear, but upon recent re-watchings I've realized how manipulative and terrible he was to Buffy when they were boinking in season 6. As SOON as he finally "got bouncy" with her, he got cocky and started saying controlling boyfriend-type things to her to get her to keep coming back to him. It was really gross. And I still haven't forgiven him this last time around for attempting to rape Buffy. That was a genuinely terrible moment. I kind of glazed over it like it wasn't "no thang" when it first aired (2002), which just tells you how abusive my relationship was at the time. Spike was a fluffy puppy in comparison. Anyway, he is #4 on my list because of his complete loyalty to the woman he loves. It's blind and retarded loyalty (he was willing to kill Drusilla to "prove his love" to Buffy!), but if that loyalty is directed at you, you've gotta respect that. The way he looks at Buffy when he's in love with her and having empathy for her is enough to put him in this list. That look he gets when he's awkwardly trying to comfort Buffy slays me. Even before he got his soul back, he had genuine love for Buffy and Drusilla. He would literally die for Buffy or Drusilla. He treated Harmony like shit though, so I don't know. Spike has the most interesting character arc of any male character on Buffy, and I really genuinely like him, but he would be an unhealthy boyfriend to have. Probably a good lay, however.

#3 -- Tara.

Tara is the perfect girlfriend. She's sweet and loyal and beautiful and awkward and nerdy and smart and empathetic and a good witch. She's just perfection. She has the coolest bedroom ever in the history of television (black walls, crystals, white Xmas lights, candles, jewel tones, etc). She doesn't put up with Willow's shit and she has integrity coming out her ears. There is literally nothing wrong with Tara. I wish Tara had gotten more development on the show, but since she wasn't a main character or a bf of Buffy, she was often too much in the background. She deserves her own comic or something. Origins of Tara? That would be awesome. Anyway, her place on the list starts the practical S.O.s. From here to #1 on my list, these are the relationships that could be forever-material as actual loyal, realistic, fully-actualized relationships to have.

Look, I refrained from posting that topless pic of Nicholas Brendon!

#2 -- Xander.

Xander is loyal, pretty (just look at those eyebrows!), and genuinely good. His character probably changes the least of anyone on the show. He starts off dweeby, cute, and sweet and he stays that way. Extra points for becoming a carpenter! His attraction to weird girls, demons, and tactless-truth-saying females is probably his most endearing quality. He also has mad empathy and delivers the most heartwarming speeches of anyone on the show. Why can't Willow magic him a freaking eyeball?!?! Grrr. He still has the patch in the comics! His refusal to like any vampires ever, even if they have earned redemption-status, is a little annoying, but I forgive him because he's just such a stand-up guy in every other respect. He's a lot like my pretty Mike, too.

I like pictures of pretty people
standing in trees, apparently.

#1 -- Oz.

Pale. Black fingernails. Ever-changing hair color, while being a ginger in his natural state (rawr). Smart. Loyal. Likes weird girls. Taciturn. Philosophical. He's just as perfect as Tara, really. I don't think I was ever mad at Oz, until he left Sunnydale. He needed to go, though. I understand that. I don't know how I could have chosen between Tara and Oz when he comes back after Willow is already beginning a relationship with Tara. Willow gets to have the most perfect boyfriend ever AND the most perfect girlfriend ever in the space of a year. Bitch! Seriously though, Oz makes my heart melt and he is absolutely the boy I'd pursue if I were Willow, and often when I dream about the Buffyverse, Willow is the character I embody. The only thing that could make Oz cooler would be if he could control himself when he was in wolf form, so he could be an asset in a fight and maybe be cuddled as a wolf. That could be cool, but that would require a totally different mythology of werewolves than exists in the Buffyverse. In my mind, he's that kind of werewolf, though. And he has Buddy Holly glasses. Ok, NOW Oz is perfect.

A velvet shirt AND a tree in this one. Ooh!

*Honorable Mention -- Angel.

Initially, Angel was a character I truly didn't give a fuck about. The more I rewatch both Buffy and Angel the more I like Angel. He likes to sit around in the dark and read all broody-like. I can respect that. He can be really funny and he's a good guy as long as he hasn't lost his soul or anything. The way he tirelessly seeks atonement for his evils as a vampire is pretty endearing to me, as well. I do love an angsty boy! I used to not find him attractive at all, but he's grown on me in the last 5 years or so. I absolutely love it when he and Spike bicker. Cutest. I also enjoy all the opportunities the writers of Buffy took in getting any male character topless whenever they could, though I wish Spike and Angel hadn't been intentionally hairless. Let that chest hair grow wild, boys! Angel does look good in velvet, I must say.


Thus concludes my list of Buffy relationships. Here's a couple of other pictures I found that are pretty hilarious:

This looks like if Willow, Xander, and Buffy had been a cool '90s electronic band. Awesome!!