My mother was a monster and my father was no one at all to me.

When I was growing up, my role models had to be something other than the people around me. If I had a father at all, he was Rupert Giles, Buffy the Vampire Slayer's fictional guardian.

Obviously, Giles was never real, and his performer was never really Giles. But I remained deeply grateful to Anthony Stewart Head for playing a role that had meant so much to me at a time when abusers had effectively isolated me from any true positive influence.

Today, I learned that Anthony died two days ago on Friday, and it hits a little like it did when I lost one of my favorite uncles—a man who sometimes protected me from my mom—to a drive-by shooting while I was still in need of a father figure.

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#BuffyTheVampireSlayer #AnthonyStewartHead #RupertGiles #Grief #MentalHealth #Healing #WritingCommunity #TraumaRecovery #PersonalStory #Fandom #RestInPeace

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His daughters said in a statement that it will "forever be an honor and a privilege to be his daughters, and to have witnessed firsthand the impact both he and his work have had on so many."

To his daughters I reply, thank you for sharing him with us. His work made the world a better place, and we will not forget him. 💙 😿

@ellisarcwolf

My mother was stone evil as well, and dad hated me. Both parents are autistic and I raised myself out of books and newspapers.

I can relate. I call Stephen King my first father. Kurt Vonnegut was the second, then I was an adult and saw role models more as siblings than parents.

Thanks for sharing.

@Uair

Thank you too! 💙

I'm glad we both found our real parents. 😊 It was better to know and to lose them than never to have had them at all.

@ellisarcwolf Awww I can relate, sending you hugs 😔

@WirlOfWirls

Thank you so much. 😿💜🫂

@ellisarcwolf sending hugs your way.

I am lucky to have great parents, but my dad’s work abroad meant he was away for long periods and I found surrogate father figures in fiction reassuring in those times he was away.

@Emmacox

Fiction is truly magic. 💜