Nobody came to his 'Stranger Things' birthday party. The show's cast found out.
Aaron Alambat had a "Stranger Things" birthday party. It looked badass.
There was a cake made in honor of the Netflix series, Demogorgon blood (punch) to drink, and — of course — holiday lights strung up to communicate with those stuck in the Upside Down. (If none of that made sense to you, you really need to watch the show.)
The only thing the party could have used were more of Aaron's friends.
Aaron's sister, Ayen, pointed out in a disheartening tweet that, even though Aaron invited eight of his classmates, "none of their punk selves showed up."
Ugh.💔
The good news is that other Twitter users wanted to make sure Aaron still had a great birthday party. So they started replying to the tweet.
A radio DJ wanted to give him a shoutout on air.
@ayenalambat And, before I forget: Happy belated, baby brother! What’s his name? I’ll shout him out on @SIRIUSXM 51… https://t.co/wk8kUQT5Zp— Liquid Todd (@Liquid Todd) 1521497646
Someone else said that his whole supportive "Twitter fam" will show up for a good time next year.
@ayenalambat TELL AARON THAT WE (his twitter fam) COMING NEXT YEAR 🤘🏾🙏🏾 I'm pulling up looking for him like https://t.co/HQXE53gkiR— Cactus Crack 🌵 (@Cactus Crack 🌵) 1521507371
One encouraging user opened up about a similar experience they had as a kid, writing, "In 5th grade I made invitations to a laser tag party and none of my friends showed up. ... This past weekend I had a surprise birthday and it was laser tag."
@ayenalambat In 5th grade I made invitations to a laser tag party and none of my friends showed up :( this past wee… https://t.co/K4X98om5Dx— decks🦉 (@decks🦉) 1521473293
Internet star Bretman Rock chimed in, too, noting how delicious all the Filipino food looked in the pics.
It didn't take long before the tweet made its way to the feeds of a few "Stranger Things" cast members.
Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Netflix.
Actress Millie Bobby Brown, who plays Eleven on the show, said she wants to come to Aaron's birthday party next year. "You can let them all know that everyone on behalf [of] 'Stranger Things' would’ve come! I think [you're] awesome and next year I would like an invite ... Please?"
Actor Gaten Matarazzo, who plays Dustin, replied to Brown's tweet: "Count me in too! I'll bring the chocolate pudding."
@milliebbrown Count me in too! I’ll bring the chocolate pudding 🎂🎉🎈— Gaten Matarazzo (@Gaten Matarazzo) 1521556941
All the positive vibes and well-wishes seemed to turn Aaron's birthday into an experience he'll never forget — in a good way!
In a tweet posted the following day, Ayen updated all those wondering how her brother was doing in the aftermath of her viral tweet.
Aaron is "chillin now" and doing just fine.
Sharing tough life experiences with complete strangers can actually bring out the best in humanity sometimes, it seems. And who knows? A few celebrities may even chime in to show their love and support for you, too.
Stranger things have happened.
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."