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REMEMBER: A MEMOIR
ONE:
There was a boy running on my screen when I first began watching Teen Wolf. It's ironic to think about how much my life has changed since I saw that boy running on my screen. To those of you like me who have been impacted by this show, I don't need to explain to you what it feels like when the opening credits begin. To those of you who do not, I will. A thumping starts to pulse in your chest, gaining momentum every half second as the clock dwindles down. There is a twisted feeling in your stomach, and you have yet to determine if it is one of angst or one of joy. Knowing this show, it will probably be both. There is a single moment between the recap of previous seasons to the second you see the first character of a new season. And they are different. Their hair is different; their mannerisms are different; their age is different; their life is different.
Watching Teen Wolf for five years was the same process. In whatever state we began watching this show, it is safe to say that we are not the same people. I can easily attest to that. In the time that I have been a viewer of Teen Wolf, my life has been twisted into multiple pieces and carved around edges and edges of imperfections. At one point between the seasons of one and three, I began a battle with depression. In that battle, there were wars with panic attacks and self-harm, and for the longest time, it seemed like I was stuck in between a rock and a hard place. To me, the idea of throwing two comforters over my body and watching television was a dream.
I'm not going to say that a television show saved my life, nor that watching strenuous amounts of Teen Wolf will miraculously help someone overcome a mental illness. It won't, as much as I wish it could. What I do know is that, because of Teen Wolf, I was introduced to a different side of writing. The side that revolved around passion and commitment; the side that created strong characters in a sea of damsels. I was introduced to Wattpad, and it is that which saved my life. It is writing that kept me from losing my mind. More specifically, fanfiction. A term that has been tossed around in many communities as childish is the reason why I am the person that I am today, and I will never deny that I was―and still am―a fanfiction writer.
There are many ways in which a television show can become a part of someone. Mine, to some extent, is because I have created a character through fanfiction that is an extension of me in the world of Teen Wolf. It could have been any show, but I chose this one to share my story and to show the world something that I loved doing just as much as I loved breathing. Because of Teen Wolf, I was welcomed into a community of people who genuinely care about me and my work. Because of Teen Wolf, I have met endless amounts of beautiful people. Because of Teen Wolf, I have been able to allow my love for writing to flourish. Because of Teen Wolf, I am a better person. Because of Teen Wolf, I will remember the impact that it has left upon me. I will remember you, and I will remember the boy running on my screen. He has shown me strength and compassion when I was unaware of what those two words meant. He has shown me what it means to be a good person, and he has given me the drive to help people because I saw through his actions that it matters.
Teen Wolf will end, but the people it has changed will never disappear. As a community, we will be consistently growing up and learning alongside each other because of a bond created over a television show. Jeff Davis linked us together ever since that fateful moment in the pilot where Scott McCall was bitten by Peter Hale, and I have a family for life because of it. I will remember the experiences and opportunities given to me because of Teen Wolf. I will remember that it is okay to have an open wound, so long as it does not control the rest of my life. I will remember.
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What will you remember?
YOU ARE READING
REMEMBER: A Memoir
Random"No one gets left behind. That's the plan." A memoir for the ones who are grateful to Teen Wolf for changing their lives. We are the ones who will remember.
