Love Lessons From Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Learning From A Fantasy Character’s Romantic Life
Sep 14, 2008
The various loves of the characters on Buffy the Vampire Slayer may have been fictional and sometimes supernatural, but they can still teach lessons that can be used in real life.
Age is Just a Number, But 270 Years is a Big Difference
There were plenty of reasons Buffy and Angel just couldn’t make it work. He was a vampire, while her calling was to kill vampires. They couldn’t have sex without Angel changing into his demon version, Angelus. Her mom didn’t like him. Yet, perhaps the most significant deterrent to their togetherness was the fact that Angel had about 250 more years of dating experience.
At some points in your life, an age difference isn’t that big a deal. Eight years is nothing much when you’re 35 and your object of affection is 43, but when you’re 18 and the one you want is 26, the difference can be problematic. An 18 year old and a 26 year old are at two very different stages in life. At 18 you’re just starting your adult life and by 26 you should have some idea about where you’re heading. At 35 and 43, you have probably both figured out what you want to be when you grow up and should have your lives in order.
Of course, there are some people that never grow up and some that are old before their time. So don’t let the number you put in the age box keep you from connecting with someone you think has potential.
A Slayer’s Work is Never Done
Buffy is the Chosen One and that really eats up a lot of her time. When the apocalypse is imminent, her relationship drama has to take a backseat to saving the world.
If your lover is similarly devoted to his or her career, you may be lower on the priority list than you’d like. Some people, like doctors, policemen and vampire slayers, may have to run out at a moment’s notice to save lives or rid the world of evil. You may have to deal with a certain amount of absences when you’re dating someone so devoted to their career. If this doesn’t work for you, you should probably avoid getting into a relationship with anyone who has such a consuming job…or a calling.
Bad Boys Are Bad News (Even If They Do Occasionally Save the World)
Buffy has a thing for bad boys. First there was Angel, a vampire with a soul, who occasionally lost that soul and rampaged as his former evil self. Then there was Parker, the boy who used her for sex when she was a college freshman. Even goody-two-shoes Riley Finn developed a vampire bite fetish after a while. Finally, there was Spike. Buffy and Spike started off as mortal enemies, but through a series of unlikely events, including a neutering chip implanted in Spike’s head, they were irresistibly attracted to each other.
The point is a woman’s tendency to be attracted to bad boys is something she must ultimately grow out of if she ever hopes to have anything resembling a normal life. Life with a bad boy can be confusing; even when you figure out that they bring you pain, every now and then they do something incredibly romantic, like cook you a gourmet dinner or close the gateway to hell.
