i said this elsewhere, but ASH was really a father for an entire generation. we see this in every tribute, every outpouring of grief, and so many of the beautiful words people are sharing right now.
i think a fantastic component of his time on buffy to draw attention to here is when he was fired from the watcher’s council and still chose to stay with buffy and guide her. this, as an adjacency to buffy’s parents getting divorced and her dad actively choosing not to stay in her life resonated with so many kids who grew up with dads who weren’t around, parents who weren’t physically or emotionally available.
this man, through his work, was a father, a mentor and a guide to all of us; he made weird kids feel seen. he gave life to so many characters, characters that have since become such an integral part of our cultural lexicon. he encouraged people into getting interested in theatre. he was a staunch and proud ally for lgbtqia+ people across the world. the man carved out a niche in media that will always be uniquely and unequivocally tied to his legacy. and you know what? i’m damn sure he made people respect their local librarian a little more.
my heart really goes out to his family; the amount love the world had for him and his work was truly extraordinary. we lost a real legend today; he’ll be our watcher forever and always.
