Have a question about something fantasy-related? Ask the Oracle! (Be sure to include your first name and the city, state, and/or country you are writing from.)

Q: Tell me something new — anything! — about David Boreanaz! Needless to say, I’m a fan. — Molly, Vancouver, BC, Canada

A: How about what he thinks, looking back now, at all the Buffy and Angel madness?

“When Buffy came out — it debuted in 97 — I remember distinctly being at a party of all the Fox executives, and feeling this energy of ‘I hope this works!’” David tells the Oracle.

Regarding the phenomenon it would soon become, “I have more of a sense now than when I was in it,” he says. “When you’re in it, everything is going on so fast. When it popped to success the way it did, it was because of the hard work and the story. But Joss [Whedon] put that into place and we just executed it.”

When did he know Buffy had become a genuine phenomenon? “I think it was episode that I got swallowed up by a statue and Buffy had to throw the sword and kill me, and I got sucked into this evil monster’s mouth. And we went to New York and did a signing at the Disney store. Four or five blocks had to be shut down, there was a riot outside — it was madness. The cops were trying to get us out of the building, but there were people on top of cars. It was a mess.”

What does he think was the secret to the show’s success? “Joss took characters, [especially] a female character that he made so strong and so likable, and put them through these archetypes or metaphors — whatever you want to call them. But each character had that drive.”

With the show’s enormous impact, the Oracle was very curious to know if David was ever afraid of being type-cast by the part.

“I never thought about it — maybe that’s the equation,” he says. “Obviously, people bring it up, but to me, it was never really an issue, because I believe in myself and my talent. You just kinda go forward and work on projects and see where that takes you.”

Was he offered similar roles, post- Angel? “No. I don’t think I was ever offered [another] vampire role. For me, it was a lot of comic book stuff. I was going to be in Resident Evil, but I couldn’t do it because the production didn’t work you. Associated with a genre that’s a little bit darker and little more fast-paced? Yeah, but I never quite got the [fear of being type-cast].”

Q: I finally had Turkish Delight. I wasn’t delighted. Thoughts? — Larry, Lakewood, CO

A: It’s a British thing. Ever had blood pudding — for breakfast no less?

Still, much depends on the specific nature of the Turkish Delight you tried. The confection, which really did originate in Turkey (and is called lokum there), is a soft, pink jelly-like confection sweetened with sugar or honey, and dusted with powdered sugar or copra (to prevent sticking). Often nuts are added.

Lewis reportedly liked it — and it, therefore, makes sense that it would be Edmund’s downfall in dealing with the White Witch.

The version you tried may not have been sweet enough for your taste-buds. If so, the Oracle suggests the sweeter Americanized version: Aplets and Cotlets, made in Washington State (although rarely referred to as “Turkish Delight”).

And keep in mind that you’ve no doubt long enjoyed a candy that was probably based on Turkish Delight: the jelly bean.

Q: So the new web series directed by Ted Raimi. What’s the deal with that? Did he write it? – John, Fort Lauderdale, FL

A: “I wrote and created the series based on a short story I wrote a few years ago,” says Suzanne Keilly, Ted’s collaborator on Playing Dead (and the star), which is about an aspiring actress recruited to play Death.

“Ted and I produced it, and Ted directed it,” she says. “We collaborated after the project was written. Once it was and he agreed to direct we talked about my script, the tone of it, who to cast, the pacing, that kind of stuff. He gave me notes on the script, which I mostly ignored to his dismay — although he snuck in some changes on the day of shooting when it was harder for me to disagree much to the better-ment of the series. The look of the show is all Ted. He really took my story and dialogue and added his own very cool vision to it.”

Incidentally, the musc is by Curtis RX of Creature Feature. Here’s the latest episode:

Watch Playing Dead.

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Last week I pointed out the rather disgusting sexual appetites of certain fantasy heroines, namely Buffy Summers, Sookie Stackhouse, and Bella Swan.

But when you take a second look at these vampire/human couples, there’s another disturbing trend: an age gap.

Specifically, an age gap that in some cases spans several centuries.

And these are couples that in some cases involve a teenage girl. So why are we okay with this?

(Bill Compton of True Blood, you get a pass this week. Sure, you’re scandalously older than you’re girlfriend Sookie — you were in the Civil War, after all — but at least Sookie’s an adult.)

Let’s start with you, Edward Cullen, with your big dreamy eyes and your dirty, dirty hair. Sure, you may have that young, boy-next-door, Cedric Diggory-kind of appeal, but lurking behind that underdeveloped chest is the cold, dead heart of an old geezer. Does anyone else think it’s insanely creepy that an old man just keeps going back to high school?

It reminds me of that moment in Dazed and Confused when Matthew McConaughey says, “That’s what I love about these high school girls, man. I get older, they stay the same age.” That was unsettling to hear from him, and he was a hot dude in his 20s!

And then you not only go after this girl, you fill her head with nonsense about how all you want to do is kill her, but you’re such a gentleman that you’ll behave and let her live. And somehow you get her to love you for it!

Do they not have Megan’s Law in Forks, Washington?

But of course, that’s merely Twilight, which came well after the couple that started it all: Buffy and Angel. Before they got all freaky with each other, it was relatively unheard of for humans to sleep with vampires. What did you unleash, Joss Whedon?

He was 247. She was 16. He kept telling her how much he loved her, and waited, patiently, until finally having sex with her on the night of her 17th birthday. You got that? He slept with her the moment she became legal. That’s just as creepy as all of those websites counting down to the day the Olsen twins turned 17.

And sure, she was technically legal when she started having crazy house-shattering sex with the punky Spike, but he was still over the hundred year mark, while she was a mere 21. And furthermore, he had been in her life since she was 16 — albeit as a mortal enemy — so he had known her in the context of being a child. What’s the deal, William the Bloody?

Aside from the fact that these are beautiful girls, one has to wonder just what someone who’s been alive that long would really have to talk about with a 16-year-old girl. Here’s a sample conversation:

Vampire: Hey, you.

Girl: Hey, you. You know what I was just thinking about? The ’90s. Man, the ’90s were kick-ass.

Vampire: The ’90s? Oh, please. They had nothing on the Roaring ’20s. Man, those days were the tops.

Girl: The top of what?

Vampire: No, the tops. The cat’s meow.

Girl: You have a cat? Aw, I love cats!

Vampire: Why don’t you listen to your i-Plod?

Girl: iPod.

Vampire: I miss speakeasies.

Yeah, not a lot in common. And yet in story after emo story, we see girls getting suckered in by these debonair vamps (and interestingly, almost never do we see these stories with the genders reversed).

So let this be a cautionary tale to concerned parents out there: if you see your daughter hanging around a boy with pale skin, an anguished expression, and an unusually vast knowledge of antiquated colloquialisms, get those crucifixes and garlic ready pronto. You’ll thank me when you don’t have any unexpected grandchildren with fangs.

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Fantasy television series have come and gone, but some remain in the minds of genre buffs long after their run on the tube has ended.

Two of the most iconic are Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Xena: Warrior Princess.

Years after they wrapped, conventions are still held in their honor, millions remain devoted fans, and the actors who played the central roles have officially achieved break-out celebrity superstardom as a result of their performances.

And yet both Buffy and Xena had a counterpart series featuring a male hero that has seemed to fade into the background.

So why isn’t there love for Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Angel the way there is for Xena and Buffy?

Perhaps a female action hero is innately more exciting to watch, both aesthetically and contextually. Despite whatever fighting abilities she has (supernatural or otherwise), she might seem to be more of an underdog when facing off against a larger opponent, making for better drama. The stakes might “feel” higher than if it were two dudes of equal size slugging it out.

Or it could be – and this is my thesis statement – that Xena and Buffy were simply the better-written shows. On Hercules, Kevin Sorbo played the titular son of Zeus as a peace-loving, sensitive, noble hero who always took the moral high ground, who only fought when it was absolutely necessary, and who (mostly) refrained from sleeping with the ladies he rescued on a weekly basis.

This is a sharp contrast to the mythological vision of Hercules, whom the ancients knew as a loud, boorish brute, a cocky demigod, and a notorious ladies’ man (and in true ancient Greek fashion, had an eye for the younger gentlemen as well). He was constantly getting into fights, and was the father of many children, both in and out of wedlock.

Which version would you rather hang out with? By reimagining Hercules as a champion of the underdog and a ‘90s-friendly sensitive male lead, they effectively neutered their main character.

Xena, on the other hand, was an antihero, a former villain seeking redemption. She had done terrible things in her past, and every good deed she performed was fueled by a crushing guilt, an urge to balance out her life and find redemption. She had a much darker streak than Hercules, was quicker to fight, and was far more aware of her sexuality, which she could wield as a weapon as easily as her chakram.

Is it any surprise people flocked to watch her far more than her parent show — and remember it more fondly?

Angel and Buffy had a different relationship. Angel, like Xena, was actually the darker show and the spin-off, and like Xena, the vampire with a soul was seeking forgiveness for the sins of his past … even though he didn’t technically commit them, since his soul had been taken.

(The show never explains exactly where a soul goes when one becomes a vampire beyond describing it as the “ether.” Apparently the ether is not too far away, as souls can be easily recalled. It’s probably best not to worry about it too much.)

And yet Buffy worked in a way that Angel didn’t. The strength of Buffy was that it featured teenagers facing troubles and issues the likes of which the adults in their world could never bear, which is why the show lost a lot of its steam in the final two seasons when the characters left school, got jobs, and became surrogate parents to Buffy’s sister Dawn.

What’s more, the heart and soul of Buffy was the relationship between its four core characters: Buffy, Giles, Willow, and Xander. This nucleus of the “Scooby Gang” was the glue that held the show together, despite the revolving door of “extended-family” characters, like Tara, Spike, Riley, Anya, etc.

On Angel, they made a valiant attempt to create an equivalent “Team Angel,” but it never really gelled until the fifth season, and by then the show had been canceled. It was a tragedy heard ‘round the Buffyverse: just as a show found its stride, it was given the axe. Actually, it was very much like a Joss Whedon plot twist.

It seems that those involved with Hercules and Angel will have to content themselves with the fact that their shows were extensions of a brand that was dominated by a more feminine hand.

Well, keep believing, boys. One day we’ll break right through that glass ceiling. One day.

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I’m going to just own this: I love me a good fight scene. I do. I get shivers when I see weapons being drawn and smack being talked. I love seeing fantasy films, because I know somewhere along the way, I’ll get to see a good, old-fashioned, kick-ass sword fight.

But I’m getting a little older now, a little wiser, and bloodthirsty though I may be, even I know when there’s a limit.

I first became aware of this limit when I saw Prince Caspian in the theaters last summer. It had been a while since I had read the book, so my memory was a little fuzzy, but I’m pretty sure there wasn’t a point in the book when sweet Susan Pevensie brutally slaughtered human beings — not monsters — in the attack on Caspian’s castle. Seeing her fire arrow after arrow into her enemies made me, frankly, uncomfortable, mostly because this was a film aimed at children. What happened to teaching kids that violence is a last resort?

One of my favorite storylines in Xena: The Warrior Princess was in Season 4 when Gabrielle, the spunky Amazon, adopted the path of nonviolence after a sojourn in India. Though she ultimately realized it wasn’t for her, it was fascinating to watch a warrior struggle to resist her natural inclination towards fighting. In honor of Gabrielle’s journey, let’s look at a few other peaceful warriors.

Hermione Granger: Though she may have thrown a punch or two (most memorably showing Draco Malfoy a thing or two about Mudbloods), Harry Potter’s numero uno gal pal mostly used her advanced intellect and magical abilities to overcome whatever nasty hurtles came her way…until the final three books when she started opening a can on the dark wizards that crossed her path.

Fred: Winnifred Burkle was the heart and soul of the team on Angel, but unlike almost every other major character in the Buffyverse, she rarely participated in battle. It was her spirit, spunk, and braininess that made her a true asset to the team. Her intellectual curiosity was also, sadly, her undoing, when she opened a sarcophagus and unleashed the demon Illyria. Fans of Angel know the rest.

Sarah: Jennifer Connelly’s teen heroine in Labyrinth journeys through another world, braves a giant psychedelic maze, storms a Goblin City and faces off with the oddly sexy Goblin King Jareth, who battles her by… singing at her. She fights back by… reciting lines from a book at him. Okay, as cinematic showdowns go, it’s not the most action-packed, but boy is it fascinating. And not a single fist is clenched.

Kevin: In Time Bandits, a little boy is at the center of what is essentially a journey through his own imagination. Along the way he meets dwarves, Robin Hood, and even the legendary warrior-king Agamemnon, yet he remains nonviolent through the whole ordeal. And then his parents explode. Shame, that.

Dorothy: This story is, of course, not just the stuff of L. Frank Baum’s brilliant 1900 novel, The Wizard of Oz, but the stuff of legend. Every character in Oz is an icon in his or her own right, right down to Dorothy and her little dog, too. Immortalized by Judy Garland in one of her finest performances, Dorothy is whisked into a fantastical adventure with talking animals and bitchy witches, yet with the exception of one slap to a bizarrely effeminate lion and one toss of a bucketful of water, she remains entirely innocent of violence. You go, Dorothy. You go.

Nonviolent heroes in fantasy are hard to come by, even when the story is directed at children, and it’s even harder to find an adult male character who takes no part in fisticuffs.

Who have we left out? Feel free to chime in in the comments.

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