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ph_memes2030-08-05 04:14 pm
Pumpkin Hollow Pen-Pal Program
Welcome to the Pumpkin Hollow Pen-Pal Program!
-
Letters have been something that has brought people across Concord closer together in spite of great distances. Being cut off from the greater world has not only left people lacking in outlets to write to friends and loved ones they may not have time to see every day, but left our local post office alarmingly dry of service.
That's where you can help!
By joining Marrow Isle's Pen-Pal Program, not only can you assist in revitalizing our postal service and help to keep our couriers on the move, but through our pen-pal lottery, you'll have the potential to write to an acquaintance, an old friend, or perhaps a new friend entirely! Participation in the lottery is entirely optional, of course, as you're always welcome to simply register and write to your current companions.
To participate, all you need to do is provide your mailing address via the form below, and the post office will provide you envelopes, paper, and ink, free of charge! We look forward to seeing new bonds formed through writing!
-Created with love by the Autumn Leaves Dormitory House, graciously hosted by the Marrow Isle Postal Service.-
To sign up for a pen-pal, all you have to do is:
- Create a toplevel for your character that will serve as their pen-pal inbox, filling out the form below! For addresses, you may either the specific address you picked from the reference sheet or just their neighborhood if you haven't picked one.
- Reply to the Lottery comment to be entered into the lottery before the listed deadline. New lotteries to be assigned a new pen-pal will occur monthly, so feel free to sign up every month, just once, or as desired! (Be sure to have your toplevel comment inbox set up before pen-pals are assigned!)
- If you do not want a randomly assigned partner, no worries! You can simply have one of your characters send a letter directly to another character's inbox.
- When you are given your recipient, send them a starting letter in their inbox, and you will receive one from whoever was assigned yours! It will work like Secret Santa, resulting in two letter threads.
- Letter threads can last as long as you want, but if you sign up again the following month, you'll get two more. Budget your energy appropriately!
A letter from Martin
Hi Jon,
I joined the pen pal program to try and make a new friend here, and somehow the lottery decided that I ought to be writing to you! At first I kind of thought that was silly, seeing as we know each other, but I realized that in all the... stuff... going on in the Institute, you and I never really got to just talk. So I figured maybe we should just roll with it?
Anyway, I guess I should tell you some stuff about me that maybe you don't know yet. Let's see... Well, my favorite animal is a stoat. I guess that's a strange place to start, seeing as I'm nearly 30, but I saw one today and was actually pretty excited about it. I love that there's wild stoats just running around on this island. Also, I recently started working as a barista at the Oak & Iron. I don't know if I'll do it forever, exactly, but it's something to keep my mind and my hands busy for now. I do end up pretty sore at the end of the day, though. I might see if the apothecary lady can re-invent Ibuprofen. It's been fun otherwise, though. I have some lovely coworkers. I even started dating one of them recently.
His name is Laios. He's kind of an odd one, but he's really into nature and animals and cooking. He makes the best food, and has even gotten me to go walking more. It's been kind of hard to get used to all the little adventures he wants to go on, but it's good for me, and he's just so happy when I agree to go. Besides, if I ever, I dunno, threw out a hip or something, he's strong enough that he could probably carry me. He's built like a brick house. He's kind of out of my league, but he seems to think I'm handsome, so... I guess I have to trust him. Maybe this place will end up being good for me after all. If nothing else, it's been good to get out of the office and back into some semblance of a real world again.
Anyway, I probably should let you get back to whatever you were doing. I hope you're okay. I've heard a few things about you that have made me really worried. Please try to remember that you're still you. And also that this is a small town and gossip gets around really fast, so if you're doing things that are questionable, people are probably going to find out. But mostly the first thing.
Stay safe.
---Martin
P.S. Reading this back I realize I just rambled about random stuff the entire time and I'm sorry. But also this is the most I've "talked" in a long time, so... I guess I'm rusty.
no subject
Martin,
It was strange, to enter a lottery with as many people from town as it seemed to be participating, and recognize the handwriting when I opened it up. I'm certainly not complaining, though; writing letters is a good way to get all your thoughts out on paper, one way or another. You're completely right, and I had never realized just how little we'd gotten to talk before now. I won't be able to write back as quickly as I've sent this one, but if you're alright with some delay, I'm happy to write back as often as I'm able.
Stoats are an excellent favorite animal to have. I take walks through the forests near my home sometimes--- "stupid little walks for my mental health," Gerry called it when he suggested doing so--- and I'll see them, occasionally, chasing birds or frogs through the woods. It's a shame we haven't got cameras here, I'd offer to take a picture next time I see one. My favorite animals are river otters. I first saw them at the National Sea Life Centre in Birmingham when I was a child, and was enchanted with them ever since.
I'm glad to hear that things are on the up-and-up for you. A career, friendly coworkers, a boyfriend - you've really made a lot happen much faster than I did. I don't imagine it will surprise you all that much to hear that I spent my first couple of months pissing off my coworkers and being generally a bit obstinate about being dead. I'm happy for you.
I'm doing well enough, and I'm sorry for anything you've heard. You've got much of your own life going on; you don't need to worry about mine. I'm just trying to do what I need to in order to get by. If the gossip mill turning tries to catch you in it, I'll understand if you need to denounce any continued knowledge of me or my happenings. I don't want my mess becoming yours. You've spent enough time in life trying to do damage control for me, you don't need to be doing it in death.
To avoid leaving this on a moderately bleak note: I've been meaning to ask if you'd let me know how you made the tea back in the Institute. I've been trying to replicate it practically since I got here, with no such luck. I'm not fully convinced you haven't figured out how to sell your soul for the deeply-coveted knowledge on how to make the perfect cup of tea.
Be well, Martin.
Sincerely,
Jon
P.S. I can't believe I forgot to mention the fucking tapes. With everything that's been going on, I feel like I'm going to forget the stove and burn my house down one of these days. Calloway had tape players - I've been repairing them, slowly but surely. The contents are from our world, things we haven't seen. At least, I haven't; Daisy was familiar with the first one. I don't know why they're here or what purpose they have, but I intend to find out. I'll let you know as soon as I understand, should you want to hear about them. I won't be offended if not; they can be difficult to hear. Let me know, and I'll keep you up to date about them.
no subject
Hi Jon,
Why does it not surprise me literally at all that Gerard Keay has a weird sense of humor that's full of memes? Has he told you to touch grass as well? I've seen the statue of Hatsune Miku in his window. It makes me do a double take every time. Where did he get that thing?
Also, no offense, but considering that being obstinate and pissing off coworkers was a lot of what you were doing back home as well, I can't exactly say I'm surprised? But I'm also not surprised that eventually your finer qualities won out. I've always thought highly of you, Jon. I'm really pleased to see you having made connections. You deserve that. People like Zelda and Jean.
Oh, I forgot to tell you that I ran into Jean. They're a funny sort. I've never seen teeth like that outside of a cartoon. And they laughed a lot for some reason, which also made me laugh???? It was very odd. But they seem very nice. I ended up taking a shift on the night watch for them, and I managed to get it lined up with nights when I don't have to be up early for morning shift the next day. It's been nice, doing something to help while having a chance to be alone with my thoughts for a while. People are nice here, and I'm glad they want to include me, but it can be a little much sometimes, considering... you know.
Also for the record I'm not denouncing you, Jon, that's dumb. Just behave yourself. And how the hell are there tapes? This is a pseudo-Victorian era. Is Calloway a wizard????
Anyway, the tea: the trick is that each different type of tea (black, green, oolong, white, herbal, and so on) has a different ideal brewing temperature and time. I included a little reference card in the envelope. Hang it up in your kitchen and get a food safe thermometer!
Best,
Martin
There is a little cardstock sheet in the envelope that conveys tea brewing information.
no subject
Hello Martin,
I had always wondered if it was something like that I wasn't doing right with the tea. I'll look into the thermometer. For now, the card lives in my kitchen. I've had a stand for a recipe book since I moved in here that's sat completely empty, but now it's finally got something to occupy it. I'll give it a try as soon as I can!
You're absolutely not at all wrong to be surprised, though, regarding Gerry. (A quick side note: he told me, once, that he's always wanted friends to call him "Gerry" specifically. You'll notice how pleased he is about it if you do.) He has absolutely told me to touch grass once or twice, and claims that the Hatsune Miku figurine in the window is a religious idol. He got it from the same Calloway I'd mentioned in the last letter; if you've heard discussion of the "Shady Merchant," that would be him.
He's got some means of finding objects from other worlds, and sells them at an appalling mark-up. I've collected an assortment of objects that I've never read statements about, but would have their place in ones easily, to keep them from falling into hands who don't know what these sort of things are capable of. Except for the meat grinder. You know which one. That exact meat grinder is here, and I have it under lock and key to prevent any mishaps.
So, yes: Calloway is some sort of terrible con-man wizard. I purchased the tape players thoroughly broken from him a year ago, and with everything that's been going on, I nearly forgot about them. I'll have to play them for you as soon as I'm able. One is a garbled mess that I'm still trying to fully decipher, and the other is hard to explain. It's from the future, if you'd believe it. Daisy elaborated a bit on the future for me; I'll need to talk to you about it soon. I think I could use your help attempting to break apart and fully understand it - it does include your voice, after all.
Jean is a lovely person, and I'm glad you had the opportunity to meet them. They're as deeply courageous as they are entirely unhinged. I can see the people here being overwhelming, though, I still find myself overwhelmed by it all often. I'm happy to hear you have a good spot to decompress and take some time to yourself. (With the additions of what I imagine are a lovely view.)
For the record, regarding denouncing and anything that goes into it, it is not dumb. Things have been difficult, I don't want to make things more difficult for you during this decline. I am "behaving" to my best ability.
Enclosed in this envelope is a pin I thought you'd enjoy. I received it as a consolation prize from the Cucumber Festival some months ago. I've not got much use or places to display pins, and I'm not sure if you're someone who enjoys them, but I thought it was worth seeing if it was something that would serve you better than I.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Best,
Jon
True to his word, tucked into the envelope is a small, brass pin, with delicate looping vines, wide leaves, and flowers surrounding a cucumber plant. This town is very serious about their cucumbers, apparently.
no subject
Jon,
I love the pin, it's really cute. It's small enough to wear on a shirt lapel, so I think I'll wear it for work. Thank you!
As for your collection, I'd really hoped that we were done dealing with things from home... But I guess there's no rest for the weary. Of all the things, why the meat grinder? All of them are horrible but that one is just nasty. Maybe I've just got a bit of a bias against the Flesh now, considering. I should probably check out those tapes. Daisy wouldn't really tell me anything about what's to come, which makes me extremely nervous, honestly. What do you mean by "garbled mess," though?
Anyway, maybe we should take a break from Fears stuff. We're in a new place, we should focus on it more. How has fishing been? I'll admit, it's a bit bonkers to hear that you took up fishing. I'm still not used to it. But I spend a lot of time on the beach, and I've seen you on the Mipha's Grace when you're at port. You look at home there. Also, at some point, you should tell me more about how the curse around here works. I thankfully did a good enough job convincing the Dirt Man I was asleep when he came by to look for dirt the other night. God, that was weird. Is it always like this?
Anyway, happy sailing. I know you ship out soon, so... be safe.
---Martin
no subject
Martin,
I'm glad to hear you liked the pin. I hope wearing it serves you well! People here have such strong opinions about their vegetables, I wouldn't be surprised if you got some goodwill from farmers in for drinks.
I'm of the mind that the meat grinder is here because it was one of the statements that I enjoyed the least (which is really saying something) and I, personally, can go fuck myself. Apologies for being vague, though: the tape is sort of "stitched together." It's snippets of different subjects, different people, different places... it's hard to explain in words. It will make more sense when you hear it.
No more Fears, though. We've given those things enough time of day. Fishing has been good! I'm just as surprised as you are that I've stuck with it this long. Were the Greymare Library something I thought could get me out of here when I first arrived, I'd likely have been there instead. By the time I gave up, I was settled into the seafaring life, and too stubborn to quit after things didn't pan out they way I'd hoped. How is the barista work treating you, though? Hopefully people have been patient with you; you mentioned you were day shift, right? The lovely people of Town Hall aren't all that lovely the first few hours of the morning, but that's the need for caffeine for you, I suppose.
The curse is almost always like this, yes. Some new ordeal crops up just when the last has begun to settle down. Unfortunately, if your anxiety looks at the morning, and goes "Ah, things have been too normal. When's the next disaster?", the town is likely due a new one soon.
Then there's the barrier - have you seen the fog that hangs at the edge of the sea, sometimes thicker, sometimes showing just a bit of islands in the distance? It's a bubble, so to speak. A horrible little snow globe of evil things happening to this island. A goddess (and I mean this with the utmost seriousness) told me directly that Marrow Isle's been plucked out of the world it called home, and placed somewhere else. It's a mess, to give it as large of an understatement as possible.
Other non-Fear related topics, because this is a pen-pal program: it occurs to me that I am a deeply secretive person about things that do not matter whatsoever. In the interest of pen-pal tradition, I will be throwing random information about myself here.
- When I was in secondary school, I played the clarinet.
- I was in a band in college; it split amicably after life got too busy for us to continue, but we recorded a full album's worth that we never posted anywhere or sold. I think I still have a copy in my flat back home.
- My favorite tea is English Breakfast. It used to be this strawberry black tea with honey from a café near my flat, but I wound up deciding otherwise.
- My favorite movie is the original Amityville Horror from 1979, which feels ironic, considering our previous line of work.
- I used to be a frequent Dungeon Master for a group of friends' D&D campaign. I haven't done it in ages, but it was fun while it lasted. (I don't think I could do so here, though, considering we're currently in a "fantasy" world.)
I've rambled long enough, but I'd love to hear about your goings-on, as well.
I hope you're having a good day, when this letter reaches you. I'll write back as I'm able - we dock every few days to offload our catches, so it won't be the full two weeks that I'm able to write back. I wish you well in the meantime.
Best,
Jon
no subject
Barista life has been good! We do get a lot of town hall customers. I have the orders for the ladies in the front office memorized already. Miss Leeds' personal assistant comes by every day to pick them up, and then thirty minutes later, Yorick will be by to pick something up for the Mayor, himself, and the fellow he works with on the newspaper, just like clockwork. I also see this girl Alice every morning, and I think we're becoming friends. Even if she does just drink black coffee with no sugar. (Very gross, but don't tell her I said so.)
You were in a band! What sort of band was it? What did you play? Certainly not the clarinet. Also strawberry black tea sounds amazing, especially if you made it with cream. It's perfectly reasonable to have two favorite kinds of tea. I probably have six favorites, but English Breakfast is my go-to as well, because it's simple and most everyone likes it. And it doesn't surprise me at all that you were a Dungeon Master. You've got a good voice for it. Very dramatic.
Maybe I should throw out a few random facts of my own!
- I used to read on the playground at break time in primary school. I was picked on for it, but that was genuinely all I wanted to do!
- I can still play a bit of piano. I was never all that good, but I know how to play and sing a few things. Almost all of them are Christmas songs, but favorite song to play is "The Entertainer" by Scott Joplin!
- My favorite place to go on weekends used to be aquariums
- My favorite movie is "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind". I thought it was really poignant!
- I had a weeaboo phase in secondary school. I really, really liked Fruits Basket. Like really liked it. The phase was thankfully quite short.
Anyway, see you when you're back in port, yeah? I'll come check out that tape.
Best,
Martin
(Jon's change in favorite tea to the one he used to make in the office doesn't escape his notice. WHAT DOES IT MEAN.)
no subject
I've met Alice! We spoke at the Cucumber Festival, coincidentally enough. One of the Pokemon that's decided to lurk about when I go anywhere decided to cause trouble for one of her own. I hope that he hasn't come to bother you. If you see a Dusknoir, that would be Grimmly (so named after the lurking ghostly uncle from Luigi's Mansion), and you can tell him to go back home. He's a menace. He keeps the others fed and minds Pecan, though, so I can't be all too troubled that he's there. Back on the topic of Alice, however: black coffee is appalling, and I will find an opportunity to tell her so naturally without implicating you. She needs to know, and considering she spent the better part of five minutes telling me how old I looked, it's my turn to give her a difficult time about it. At least put some cream in it, for God's sake.
I didn't play anything in the band I was in, unfortunately; I was the lead vocalist. I wish I'd played guitar or something, but I think I've missed the opportunity on that. We were doing an experimental rock sort of thing. You play piano, though, that's fantastic! My grandmother had always wanted me to when I was growing up, but I was never able to catch onto it. Maybe we'll have to take a visit to Empty Pockets and convince you to play. They've recently retired their evil piano, so it won't attempt to eat you if you do so. (Yes, this was a real problem we were having.)
I'm not surprised to hear you had an anime phase, but that may just be like-recognizing-like. I've got even less of an excuse, though - I was in college when I went through my stint. I wouldn't say it went full weeaboo, but it certainly was something. If you draw any parallels to anything in my current person and the fact that I had a six-month stint of being deeply and passionately invested in Death Note, I will have no choice but to start living in the caves as a hermit to avoid my shame.
Unrelated to anything, but I've been writing this in short bursts throughout the days, so it may be a bit disjointed. Today, when we reeled one of the nets in, we caught something that looked a bit like a spider crab, but it was holding the bow of a violin. It tried to brandish it like a weapon. What is wrong with this island? I think the little red crab on the beach has been a horrible influence. It was very odd, and I needed to share it with someone else who isn't as used to seeing these things as we are.
Additionally: I've been thinking about aquariums since I read your last letter. I hadn't been to one in years, even before arriving here. There's many beautiful things here, but nothing will quite fit in the same spot as an aquarium visit does. What was your favorite one? Any fish you'd go out of your way to see during a visit?
I'll be heading out after I drop this letter in the box. I didn't think anyone payed much mind to our comings and goings, but if I see you, I'll be sure to wave as we set back out!
Be seeing you,
Jon
True to his word, after the mere hour that the Mipha's Grace is docked, as they depart, he lingers towards towards the stern of the ship, and waves for a mere couple of minutes, but with a great energy to it.
no subject
Are you trying to tell me that you were the front man of an alt-rock band, played Luigi's Mansion, and were really into Death Note for a while?
That is the dorkiest thing I've ever heard, in the coolest way. We would have been best mates in school, I bet. Either that or I would have been terrified of you for being too cool or me. If I play piano for you, you'll have to sing me one of your songs.
Also, I've heard that red crab is from the evil cruise ship and everyone loves him despite the stabbing. I have no idea why. I guess it is pretty funny. As far as my own favorite fish, though, I was always fond of seeing garden eels! They're funny little things, hiding in their little holes. I'm also a fan of mudskippers, on the freshwater side of things. They have a lot of personality.
Maybe I'll see you when I drop my letter at Jack's Marina. I don't think I'd be much good on a ship's crew, but I'd love to go sailing some day. The sea around here is very beautiful.
Anyways, happy fishing!
Martin
And just as Martin promised, he's there to drop off his letter to Jack's Marina's port authority for Jon on the day they make their own drop. And as Jon stands at the back of the Grace and waves to him, Martin feels his heart catch in his throat, nearly leaping up to wave back.
God, he feels so pathetic. But he's so in love.
no subject
It's beginning to turn into something of a small ritual. Something that leaves him warm in his chest, and, notably to anyone near him, in a fantastic mood for the next several hours.
Martin,
I am saying all those things exactly, and accept my judgement. I wasn't terribly social in school, but there weren't many people who were invested in the things I was, so maybe we would have been! It might have made the entire experience more tolerable.
I'll see if I can't remember the lyrics to one of them. I'll warn you that I am horribly out of practice, but it's only fair. I will have no choice but to resort back to that hermit idea if it goes too badly, though.
Garden eels are a fantastic choice. I've always thought the little spotted ones were very charming. Eels in general are never anything less than exciting to see, aren't they? I don't think I've ever seen a mudskipper in person, though. I'll have to make a priority of it, should the opportunity ever present itself.
I saw you when we were disembarking, by the way! It was nice to see someone off, and to be seen off before we left. I won't ever be offended if life keeps you too busy to stop by, as I know we're in and out fairly often, but it was good to see you.
Only another few days before we're back for the month, and I'm looking forward to it. I've never considered sailing before - have you ever been? I see sailboats in the marina fairly often, so it must be decent to do so around here.
When I'm back, do you want me to give you a call from the sending stone? (A stone call?) I've played through this tape a few times, and it's been driving me mad. It feels intentional, but I don't know why it would be, nor what it's getting at if so. I'm getting nowhere listening to it myself, so I'm hoping someone else can make some sense of it. I'll cook in return if you do choose to stop by when we've got some free time.
Looking forward to seeing you,
Jon
P.S. I forgot to specify that I plan to come say hello even if the tape has to be shelved for a while. Unfortunately, with ink, you can see the full process of my stream of consciousness with no way to correct. Sorry about that.
P.P.S. I can't believe I forgot another thing I'd meant to mention. We've got an albatross nesting on the ship. Apparently, it's horrible seafaring luck to interfere with them, so that's simply how things are for now. Zelda is petitioning us for a list of potential names for the eggs when they hatch. I've not had any luck when I've tried to think of any, and thought you might have some ideas. Any thoughts?