Werewolves? Seriously?

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   Mark Knowlesposted 12 years ago

   So - this is a little weird. One of my friend's kids asked me to help him set up a website. It so happens I had a domain lying around that was perfect - so I set him up.
   
   Now I discover he thinks he is a Werewolf - a real one - and this is why he wanted the website - to talk about his werewolf-ism (if that is the right word?)
   
   So - my question is - should I tell his Mum? And WTF?
   
   http://savethewerewolves.com/real-life-werewolf/

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      SimeyCposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      It's a big thing for teenagers these days - some of my daughter's friends are apparently werewolves or vampires. Of course, the prevalence of movies like Twilight where the werewolf and the vampire get the pretty girl helps inspire many teens!!!

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         Mark Knowlesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Really? Not owning any teenagers, I was a bit surprised.

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            Motown2Chitownposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            Simey's not kidding, Mark.  My dearest friend is having huge issues with her own 16 year old son being convinced that he is indeed a vampire.  Tell his parents - if you think he's serious.  If you want to be sure, talk to him yourself and ask if he's just hyper creative.  That could be it too.

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               Terminexposted 12 years agoin reply to this

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                  Motown2Chitownposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                  Why am I so serious you mean?  Because I'm watching it have a huge impact on a family I know.  The kid's now been expelled from school and is looking at counseling for delusional/sociopathic behavior.  We all blow it off because werewolves and vampires are popular now.  I would too....until it comes to levels like this.
                  
                  As I said, though, it could be that this particular kid is testing his skill in creative writing.  Might not be serious in his case at all.  It helps to know the difference.

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                     Terminexposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                     You might want to relocate your post. It now looks too lame and irrelevant.

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               Mark Knowlesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

               Yeah - the more I look into it the more I am finding this is what passes for "normal," nowadays.

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                  Terminexposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                  Sarcastic too, wasn't it?

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               Terminexposted 12 years agoin reply to this

               Is it really serious? Children love to experiment. Don't they? It's we, who need to change our attitude.

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                  Motown2Chitownposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                  They do.  Maybe it's only really serious when a kid has his teeth in your neck or tries to bite out your jugular.  Ah, we should just let it go, I suppose.
                  
                  

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                     Terminexposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                     That feels a bit threatening, doesn't it?

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                        Motown2Chitownposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                        I suppose it would.  I'd feel threatened if one of those two things happened to me.  If you mean that it feels threatening to you, then apparently, you take the situation a bit more seriously than you say you do.

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                     psycheskinnerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                     You need to research otherkin and/or actual read the kid's site.  they are emo geeks who are probably even less likely to be violent than the chess club.

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      paradigmsearchposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Seems like every generation goes through their own weird things...
      
      Yep, tell the parents. Kind of a did-you-know... But, based on this thread, it's apparently not unusual... Just an fyi kind of thing as opposed to a big deal kind of thing... etc.

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         Mark Knowlesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         I think I will just leave it for now. lol

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            Terminexposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            Nothing helpful to add?
            
            ciao

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            donotfearposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            Yep....of course, the kid could be seriously delusional.  No way to tell for sure, but ......

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      Peelander Gallyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      That's quite amusing. As has been mentioned, he's probably trolling, maybe looking to pick up girls obsessed with all this fantasy crap. He seems pretty imaginative and intelligent, and vivid bizarre delusions concerning only one specific element of a person's life and the disorders with which they're associated are not terribly common.
      
      And to answer your question, the word you're looking for is "lycanthropy".

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         Mark Knowlesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         He seems pretty serious. And I doubt the value of trying to pick up chicks this way......

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      SirDentposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      To be honest, if I knew his parents very well, I would tell them.  Even though it may only be a joke to him, it might also be real to him.  Of course this all depends on how well you know him and his family.
      
      Just my two cents.

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         Mark Knowlesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         I know them pretty well. It is more a case of how serious it is. As I mentioned - I did not know this was a teen fad thing.

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            SirDentposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            Werewolves and vampires are popular with teens especially at this time.  The new twilight movie came out recently and is very popular.

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               Mark Knowlesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

               Yeah - just goes to show how up on these things I am .
               
               I will wait and see. Thanks for the input.

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      livewithrichardposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Seems to me the kid has tapped into a pretty popular niche and just a quick search of a few of his post titles shows he is ranking page 2 - 4 for most of them.  Not bad for just starting.  Nothing weird here Mark except for the fact that you had the domain savethewerewolves.com lying around  haha j/k
      
      A little optimization and monetization and he can become an authority in the niche.  Good thing he has a mentor like you to show him the right way..

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         Mark Knowlesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         You would be surprised at the domains I have lying around.
         
         But - I am leaning this way as well - I watched "Twilight," last night so I get it a bit better now. (Crap film by the way - I could have turned it into a 20 minute TV show and not lost anything. )
         
         Thanks for your input everyone.

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      SomewayOuttaHereposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      @ the OP....that's too funny!........

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      Hollie Thomasposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Well, he's either tapped into a niche which will attract readers of his age, or not? And may earn him some cash. Or, he desperately wants attention and he's hoping that you will bring this to the attention of his mother and father, because he wants someone else to do it for him. Or, he genuinely believes he is a werewolf, in which case perhaps he's hoping that you might help him, after all, he has come to you. Other than that I have no idea.

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   kathleenkatposted 12 years ago

   This looks like a very bored internet troll, if you ask me.

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      Mark Knowlesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I didn't ask you. Nothing helpful to add?
      
      ciao

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         Terminexposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         

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         kathleenkatposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Actually, you did ask me. You asked an open-ended question, on an online forum. You asked me, and everybody else.
         
         And for the helpful information you want me to add...as I said, this "werewolf" looks like a very bored internet troll. So, don't bother your mommy with it.

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            Mark Knowlesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            Thanks for the input in that case. Very helpful. Say it again. 

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               Terminexposted 12 years agoin reply to this

               It's hard to digest sarcasm, isn't it?

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            SirDentposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            To be fair, Mark asked for advice on whether to tell the boy's parents or not.  He didn't ask for an opinion of the boy himself.

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               kathleenkatposted 12 years agoin reply to this

               It was implied: Don't bother your mommy with a bored teenager trolling the internet. Could also just be the kid's idea of a creative writing project.

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               Terminexposted 12 years agoin reply to this

               Come on!
               
               "So - my question is - should I tell his Mum? And WTF?"
               
               Mark asked for a broad interpretation. Didn't it? Did you omit anything?

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   wavegirl22posted 12 years ago

   Add to the Twilight saga is the HBO show True Blood which I think is in its 5th season. Kids all over are obsessed with this show and I know many adults who love it as well. I think the premise is that there are vampires who are living among us.

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   Uninvited Writerposted 12 years ago

   Nothing surprises me any more People can't seem to tell the difference between fantasy and reality any more.

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   cryptidposted 12 years ago

   I believe in a lot of things, but I share your opinion that he is most likely not a werewolf. 
   
   Are you sure he really believes this?  Because, I noticed the site is monetized, and that's a pretty slick gimmick to get other kids to come to his website and read the ramblings of the kid who says he's a werewolf.  Especially with the fad thing that Simey mentioned.
   
   Also, is he going out for his school's basketball team?  Because I saw this movie once . . .

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      Mark Knowlesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Well, I am pretty sure werewolves don't exist. But - I did not realize this was a teen fad thing so maybe no harm done. I suggested he monetise it.

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         bBereanposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Gotta love it.  No doubt in your mind there is no god, but you can't completely rule out werewolves.  Creator of creation...no way, but humans shape shifting into dogs...now there might be something.  lol

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            Mark Knowlesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            I am pretty sure your Invisible Super Being doesn't exist as well. But - I am open to evidence of either of them. Creator of Creation?
            
            The Triple LOL for you Troll.
            
            No wonder your religion causes so many wars.

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               Terminexposted 12 years agoin reply to this

               Did you notice that you replied to yourself?

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   psycheskinnerposted 12 years ago

   Either it's a joke or he is part of the "Otherkin" subculture which is basically harmless emo stuff.

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   2uesdayposted 12 years ago

   It is possible to see in it different things.
   
   One would be that in no way does he believe it but he is using a popular topic to get readers. Another would be that he does feel different and he is expressing this in his writing by making comparisons.
   
   He will have a nice boost in his traffic from HubPages, I wonder if he has set up tracking his stats.
   
   About telling his mum you might want to mention that you have helped him set up a website.

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      psycheskinnerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I agree, if he lives at home there is no reason his mother shouldn't know what he is putting online.

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   paradigmsearchposted 12 years ago

   I would have sworn there was a post here saying that the kid was monetizing it (his website). If so, smart kid. Go for it!

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   frogdroppingposted 12 years ago

   My daughter (late teens) has a lot of friends/acquaintances that are 'into' werewolves and vampires. Trends, peer pressure *shrugs*, the usual. When I was a kid it was rubiks cubes and Madonna. These days it's myth and legend.
   
   Don't get so involved. If you know that the kids essentially a good one, and not likely to hair off down the street howling at the moon, leave it. Probably a passing phase. It's what kids do. Plus it's nice to see a literate one.
   
   And, in the event he does hair off down the street howling at the moon, I don't think his parents will need you to inform them as to his state of mind

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    Kathryn LJposted 12 years ago

    Hypertrichosis or warewolf syndrome is a real condition which causes the sufferer to grow fur.  It isn't cute or scary and the sufferer does not have an overwhelming urge to run in the woods at night or howl at the moon.  I'm guessing your lad doesn't have fur so he's either a bit mental or attention seeking.  If I was less inept on the old computer thing, I would upload a disturbing picture of someone with the syndrome, but alas this new fangled invention of the devil is beyond me.

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    tussinposted 12 years ago

    I'm not sure why this required a forum thread to get opinions from the peanut gallery, especially since no one here knows the person well enough to tell whether he's for real or just being creative. 
    
    If you think there's a chance the kid may be mentally disturbed, just casually direct his parents' attention to the website and don't say another word about it. They would know him better than anyone else, so if he's the kind of kid who really would believe some strange fantasy about himself, they would know what to think and do after reading his blog posts. 
    
    Some people here seem awfully sure that it's one thing or another, yet none of them even know the person in question.

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       Kathryn LJposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Oh please, someone is taking this seriously!  If old Knowelsy was really worried he wouldn't be posting here.  This is just an off the wall thing to mess about with.  He's probably hugging himself with delight at your hurrumphing.  Oh and up here in the peanut gallery, the view is great.  You get to see all sorts of people clambering over each other in the vain attempt to gain the moral high ground.  Great big bag of peanut brittle coming your way.

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          Motown2Chitownposted 12 years agoin reply to this

          Kathryn, I love this!
          
          May I have some peanut brittle also?!
          
          Thanks a million!

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             Kathryn LJposted 12 years agoin reply to this

             No probs!

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    Kangaroo_Jaseposted 12 years ago

    Mark,
    
    Have you spoken with a medical professional about this (to get a professional medical opinion)? I feel your friends son may have a disorder for believing he suffers from Lycanthropy. It may be something as simple to suggest to him to talk with someone professional.
    
    Its hard, as talking to his mother about it may potentially upset her deeply, as well as her son.

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    ahorsebackposted 12 years ago

    Mark ---No just drive a stake through his heart and get it over with !..lol

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       Mark Knowlesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       I thought that was vampires?

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          Terminexposted 12 years agoin reply to this

          What about attention-seeking spiders?

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          Kathryn LJposted 12 years agoin reply to this

          I think it's silver bullets isn't it?  Not that I'm suggesting you should use them.

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             Mark Knowlesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

             I think it is silver bullets - yes.

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    Rad Manposted 12 years ago

    If you are friends with the parents tell them, but not in an "I've got something very important to discuss with you" kind of way. If he is becoming delusional and you said nothing before it got worse, you'd feel bad. And you don't want anyone feeling bad. Kidding... but I'd tell them anyway.

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       Mark Knowlesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Yeah - agreed. I think it is harmless.

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    frogdroppingposted 12 years ago

    This still going?
    
    Good job no one told my parents that I'm a talking frog.

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