Fictional characters have very real impacts on our lives, and it's only fair that we give them the thanks they deserve. Some have changed my life and others have changed my thoughts, but they are all noteworthy. There are hundreds more that have helped me grow, but I've focused on TV and movie characters for this open letter.

Dear Merlin from the BBC series,

You taught me that it's okay to wear the same clothes for multiple days in a row and that insulting people in higher social classes lead to amazing friendships - after some time in the stocks, of course.

To Sherlock Holmes, thank you for normalizing awkwardness, apathy, and intelligence and making me feel like a saint by comparison. Also, your accent made me realize that I favor British voices. After marathons, you've enabled me to speak with such elongated vowels that my mother doesn't even understand the word "aluminum" anymore.

Harry Potter, I appreciate the magic you've blessed my life with and all of the funny pronunciations of the spells. I've learned that the protagonist isn't always the most relatable and that everyone has good and evil in them.

Thank you, Doctor Who for teaching me that life should not be taken too seriously. In fact, everything can be solved with fish fingers and custard, so why worry about regeneration?

Now for the cartoons.

Spongebob, you showed me how saying "I'm ready" can alleviate worries. Squidward, you gave me the gift of cynicism.

Sokka from Avatar the Last Airbender. You and your boomerang give me hope. I hope that I, too, can fall in love with the moon, worship mushroom clouds, and be one of the most valuable members of a team without powers. Well, the funniest, at least.

Goofy, I now know that it's okay to be the annoying person in a friendship. Also, I know that instruction manuals are for the weak and should be trifled with until hilarity ensues.

Starfire from Teen Titans illustrated how weird can be cute.

Mulan's grandmother showed me that I need to hold onto all of the Li Shangs in my life.

Finally, thank you to the Cat in the Hat for being the wonderfully horrible influence he was. I always sympathized with the poor goldfish.

Thank you, fictional inspirations, for all that you've done. You've shaped me and made me who I am today. In other words, I blame you for my insanity.