truthfulorange

Note: OK, finally, I've decided just to revert to my parents' address again and pick up mail from there every so often. My post office is being ridiculous about things, regardless of whether I use my surname and regardless of whether my name is on the mailbox (which it no longer is for various reasons). Sorry for any trouble this whole adventure has caused!

I'm on a second gap year after high school and planning to study math once I go back to school. I'm not 100% what my endgame is, but I'm happy to meander until I figure things out. After I have my associate's I'd like to move to France and get my license (French equivalent of a bachelor's).

I ended up here from going down the penpalling rabbit-hole on YouTube, penpalling being a long-standing interest of mine that I've never gotten to do as much as I might like, even in digital forms. I've been penpalling on SLOWLY on-and-off for close to 5 years now, and I recently got involved with Letters to Strangers and More Love Letters. Yet, somehow, it's not enough to satisfy me and my incessant need to send and recieve mail. Hence my coming here.

Aside from writing and crafting (see below), I love reading, drawing, playing video games, and exploring the indie web.

I've dabbled in a large number of crafts, yet I always find myself looking for new ones to try.

I can write. I can draw - I do better with paper than digitally, but I've done both. I'm not a terrible painter but probably not a particularly great one either. I'd like to learn to make stickers.

I sew, mostly to mend and alter my clothes, but I also sometimes make completely new garments. I've been hoarding fabric scraps—the bigger ones for patchwork projects and the smaller ones to use as patches when I repair my clothes. I've dabbled a little in embroidery, too, mostly for the sake of visible mending, but I'm honestly more likely to turn embroidery floss into bracelets.

I crochet and knit. Mostly, I crochet coasters and dishcloths, and I knit socks (very slowly). I started with crochet in June '23 and knitting in Oct. '23.

I've dabbled in book-binding, which has yieled one disappointing would-be daily planner and one surprisingly good journal. I still have a ways to go, but my next goal is to be able to print and bind some of my own writing together as a book. I'd also love to try my hand at making my own junk journal. On a related note, I've been getting into making zines.

I think that's it for crafty stuff I've done. I know it says "favorite crafts" but I honestly can't pick favorites. I love them all!

I've been really into J-pop lately and I've always listened to lots of emo, pop-punk and rock. Current favorites: YOASOBI, My Chemical Romance, Green Day, All Time Low, Dreamcatcher.

I like both literary fiction and genre fiction, and I lean towards more recent releases as opposed to classics (though I'm always happy to read classic dystopians). I love magical realism and found family, fantasy and historical Asia, and a little bit of romance. Some of my favorites are The Housekeeper and the Professor, The House in the Cerulean Sea, A Man Called Ove, and The Anthropocene Reviewed.

Some of my favorites have been My Hero Academia, She-Ra (2018), Avatar: the Last Airbender and Avatar: the Legend of Korra (this might be controversial, but I actually liked Korra better than ATLA), and Yu-Gi-Oh! (the 90s Toei anime, Duel Monsters, GX, and VRAINS).

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), Silver Skates (2020), Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, Anastasia (1997)

These are just some favorites and ideas, so please don't feel obligated to closely follow this list! I'm really not picky and I'll love anything you send (except as noted below).

General likes:

• Colors: bright yellows, muted oranges, lilac or dark purple, dark/navy blues, black & white, beige, earth tones
• Animals: insects & spiders, foxes, red pandas, lemurs, cats, dinosaurs, birds, dragons, marine animals, woodland creatures.
• Forest, woodlands, anything you could call "goblincore"
• Celestial, astronomy, astrology, and anything you could call "whimsigoth"
• Marine and nautical
• Childish or nostalgic (especially late 2000s-early 2010s).
• Anything you could call "witchy"
• Anything colorful or fun
• Anything related to any of the favorites listed above

Items:

• Handwritten notes (could be about ANYTHING)
• A ticket from your local train/subway
• Small amounts of non-US currency (coins or paper notes)
• If you're outside the US, your favorite local candy (no tree nuts, please!)
• A playing card or trading card (especially Yu-Gi-Oh! cards).
• Art (even if it's just some doodles)
• Anything you made yourself, really
• Photos
• Quotes (including both serious and funny ones)
• Zines on any subject
• STICKERS. Literally any stickers, no matter how ugly. Similarly, washi tape of any design.
• Yarn swatches. I'd love to fill a little book with them.
• Tea. I don't particularly like black tea, but I'd be down to try anything else.
• Return address labels of any design
• Scrap fabric, ribbons, embroidery floss, thread, buttons, that sort of stuff.

Please no:

• Glitter, confetti, or anything else that might make a mess when I open the envelope.
• Attempts to convert me. I don't mind religious imagery or bible verses, but keep it to a minimum.

I love penpalling and I'm always happy to have new penpals! I'm in it for the words and I can't promise elaborate decorations and extras like in those "Penpal With Me" videos that are so popular, but I do very much enjoy it, more than anything else. So, please, feel free to send me a letter! Nothing makes me happier than finding a surprise envelope in the mailbox and a new friend. Since I already have a few, and life is busy, and I tend to go on and on and on when I write, I can't promise that I'll always be quick to respond, but I do my best!