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You can call me Al.

  • Age: Early 20's.
    Biggest Fear: Abandonment.
    Current time: Mid-morning.
    Drink you last had: Kombucha!
    Everyday starts with: Checking the time on my phone.
    Favorite song: Right now, it's probably "Blinding Lights" By The Weeknd, but in Japanese.
    Ghosts: Possibly.
    Hometown: Very rural, spread out, and impossible to efficiently traverse on foot.
    In love with: My [housemate's] floofy pet ferrets.
    Jealous of: People who are happy.
    Killed anyone: I ran over a bee with my bicycle as a child.
    Last time your cried: Saturday
    Middle Name: Well, first you'd have to know my real name.
    Number of siblings: The perfect amount.
    One wish: Stable income to support healthy, sustainable living situation.
    Person I last called: My mother.
    Question you are often asked: Can you move your hoodie from the couch?
    Reason to smile: You're worth it.
    Song you last sang: "Cotton-eyed Joe." It's been stuck in my head since yesterday.
    Time you woke up: 6am.
    Unlikeliest thing you've ever done:
    Vacation destination: Israel, because I have friends there and the iced coffee isn't bad. Aside from that, I think I'd like to see the LOTR sets in New Zealand or spend a single day in the mountains alone.
    Worst habit: I have a hard time letting go. (I mean, it could come in handy if I'm ever clinging to the edge of a cliff.)
    X-rays: My ankle and back.
    Your favorite food: Paneer makhani!!!
    Zodiac sign: Akito Sohma.

  • Thank you, everyone, for the cake day wishes <3

  • Happy cake day! :)

  • Happy cake day! :)

  • happycakeday

  • I'm finally finishing college in March. Three mental health breaks that coincided at times with mental health breakdowns pushed me back nine months, plus an additional three because I was surprised by an unfulfilled breadth requirement that nobody bothered to mention. I can't wait to be done with this degree and able to think about telling stories again.

  • GRIMES is amazing. Although I question her baby naming choices, I am in awe of her musical composition and production abilities. What an artist!


  • Obscura
    May 6, 2020

    psssst hiii


    wakarimasen hi :3
    May 7, 2020


    Obscura i miss you D:
    May 7, 2020

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  • I miss you, Al! Hope you are well <3


    wakarimasen Aw, thank you. <3 You're so sweet. I think this made my day.
    Apr 30, 2020


    Wolfi <33
    Apr 30, 2020

  • happy cake day you <3


    wakarimasen Aww shucks!
    Jan 23, 2020

  • phpBB [media]

  • I keep logging in because it's a habit but I don't really want to do writing things anymore? It's too overwhelming because I think about all the things I could, should be doing here but they're not my priorities anymore.


    BluesClues You can always just come hang out! It's okay to chill here even if you don't write anymore.
    Jul 26, 2019


    wakarimasen Thanks Blue <3
    Jul 28, 2019

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  • It is AMAZING what a couple of sound effects, a bit of background music, and the Reverb setting on Audacity can do for your voice. Forget tea with lemon and honey! (:
    https://soundcloud.com/alliethehamster/ ... one-xander

  • Holysocks wrote:
    Coffeeism wrote:My younger sister is dyslexic, and I bring this up because whenever I see a younger person (or frankly anyone of any age) being hurtfully and unnecessarily criticised for their literacy abilities I always picture her or someone similar receiving those remarks and how heartbreaking that can be.

    My sister enjoys writing stories, and although her English literacy isn't 'up to standard' she's a killer storyteller with a wild imagination. The damage her confidence has taken from the schooling system and from people (usually around her age) commenting negative assumptions about her abilities has been massive and possibly irreparable. At one point she wanted to make an account on YWS but decided not to because she didn't want people seeing her 'bad' grammar/spelling/punctuation. Unhelpful/rude comments on these technical aspects of writing are a blow to any young writer, yet to someone who is dyslexic the blows also hit other places - often harder.

    Most who write or say such comments simply might not take in the possibilities of other learning conditions different to their own, which understandably causes them to judge other people's literacy abilities based on their standards. Yet 'lower' literacy abilities are not necessarily the fault of the writer, and certainly do not prevent them from being great creative writers. Besides dyslexia, there are also those who have a different first language, or those who don't have opportunities for better education. Does that mean I think the technical side of writing shouldn't be commented on? Nope, because it does influence writing in a big way, yet technically perfect writing does not equal good creative writing. Having consideration for the likely fact that you are unaware of a writer's learning conditions when you notice poor grammar etc. and basing helpful/guiding feedback off that view could save some accidental, misdirected damage. Because it is durably damaging if done insensitivity or ignorantly - I've seen it, and it's forever changed how I approach the writing of others.

    I am not applying this post to reviewing only, but to interactions and ways of assuming negative things about people in general: the person who stutters while reading aloud; the person with bad handwriting; the person who can't do basic mental maths and needs to use a calculator. Think before you assume, because they are amazing, yet many people learn to feel stupid and incapable because of what they've been told. Many of the most successful, talented people in the world and in history are and have been dyslexic.

    This kind of became an unintended mild rant that didn't really stem from anything in particular, yet my reason for sharing is to encourage more consideration of writers related to this matter. Focusing constructive criticism more on that which separates creative writing from other writing (character, plot, setting, /creativity/ etc.) rather than the 'level' of technical writing skill is what I try to do with my sister's stories, and that seems to be more helpful to her. She doesn't really write stories anymore, but she's talked about writing again.

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    Link to original comment

  • I'm slowly coming back into my own. Today, I decided I'd tinker with my old voiceover equipment and see if I couldn't try my hand at an audiobook for my book.
    https://soundcloud.com/alliethehamster/ ... ne/s-oJ3H8



It's kind of fun to do the impossible.
— Walt Disney