ph_memes | Pumpkin Hollow Pen-Pal Program

PUMPKIN HOLLOW'S 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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

(The following letter is written in a fine, artistic hand. Shen Qingqiu pulled out all the stops to make it look nice will still being legible.)

Madam Valdis,

I have not yet had the honor of meeting you in person, but your reputation as a powerful and courageous protector precedes you. Although circumstances required me to take a leave of absence from the enforcer's office this past month, still I feel fortunate to count myself a member of that doughty organization. I hope we may yet be afforded the opportunity to work together, side by side, in the future.

For now, however, allow me to tell you a little about myself. My family name is Shen, courtesy name Qingqiu, and I am both a cultivator and a transmigrator twice over, this being the third world which I have been blessed to call home. Although I was born into a world lacking in magic, as an adult I studied the arts both spiritual and martial on the sacred peaks of Cang Qiong Mountain Sect, and earned a reputation as, if not an exceptional warrior, at least a serviceable one. It is these skills which I have been honored to pledge in the defense of our little town.

I must confess that even considering the dangerous conditions, I've quite enjoyed my time here so far. The locals are so friendly and personable, are they not? I find myself looking forward to the work that must be done to restore them to a place of safety; perhaps you feel the same?

In eager anticipation of your reply, I remain,

Your servant,
Shen Qingqiu

(The returning letter is written in an elegant script)

Dear Shen Qinqiu,

It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance and to learn a little about you and your history. In my many lives I have had the chance to explore much of the world and learn from people throughout history, so I look forward to learning more about your beliefs and how it drives your powers and motivations.

My life has been far less exciting than yours I'm sure. I spent my time on my homeworld in a profession much like the enforcers, so it was a natural choice for me to join here. I enjoy solving mysteries, though that may oversimplify what is occurring here in Pumpkin Hollow. Like you, I have found some level of peace here. I find that my skills and powers are well suited to aiding these people and finding my way in this world. Unlike you my motivations are perhaps a little more selfish, yet we will hopefully end up in the same place at the end.

Sincerely,
Valdis

Dear Madam Valdis,

I apologize if this letter seems insultingly short. My present condition makes reading and writing somewhat uncomfortable, and I must of course conserve my strength for work. But I wanted to assure you that I'm still terribly interested in learning more about you and your world, and mysteries you've solved in the past. You called yourself selfish in your letter, but to be honest I haven't been able to determine why. I would never call the desire for a life of peace selfish, so long as it isn't obtained at the expense of another. Hopefully everyone will benefit from our work here, except for those forces which have deliberately sought to spread pain and misery.

Since I asked to know more about you, as a gesture of fairness I'll share a little more about myself. As I said before my martial sect was Cang Qiong Mountain, one of the four Great Sects of that world, and it divides its governance among twelve peaks, each with their own particular schools of study. It was my job to oversee the daily schedule of the second of these, Qing Jing Peak, for which I will always be grateful, despite the many, many difficulties I was forced to endure in that world.

The words 'qing jing' mean 'clear and tranquil,' and the place more than lives up to its name. The peak is home to a thick bamboo forest, green and peaceful, and when the wind blows through the stems it mixes with the burbling of the brooks in a way that never failed to calm my mind. The air is crisp and clean, not at all like the city where I grew up, and though the cooking staff left much to be desired until my Binghe moved in with me, still I was

[Here the brushstrokes meander for a moment, before continuing in a firmer hand.]

I was very happy there. I'll always miss that, even if I manage to build a new life here. At least this island has some lovely tree.

Forgive me if this account seems uninteresting or pedestrian to you. I haven't yet had the chance to learn what you'd like to discuss, but I'm always open to suggestions. I'll close by wishing you well, madam; I remain

Your servant,
Shen Qingqiu

Dear Shen Qinqiu,

I suppose it would be difficult for others to understand why I call myself selfish, but to be quite frank, the morals of mortal beings are at times difficult for me to understand. When I do things, I often think more of myself than the others around me, though often my actions do benefit them nonetheless. You should know I am a fairly private person, even my close friends know very little about my past. Some have managed to learn a little more than others, but I prefer to live in the present because their lives are much shorter than mine will ever be, and I've never been good about allowing people to get close.

Qing Jing peak sounds like a lovely and peaceful place. In my travels I have come across similar places, but none of them will beat the icy forests of the north with colored lights that dance across the sky at night. The crisp and unforgiving lands where solace could be found in the smallest things. Though such places are inhospitable to man, nature has managed to thrive and the quiet was its own kind of beauty.

I of course appreciate the lush green forests as well, and the wild places untouched by civilization, but human ingenuity is something to be applauded as well. There are some beautiful places filled with culture rooted in old legends. I think I much prefer the beauty of history over the conflicts of the present.

Does your homeland have legends or myths that you enjoy retelling?

Sincerely,
Valdis

Dear Madam Valdis,

You seem to harbor a rather poor opinion of yourself. I don't yet know you well enough to tell whether this is warranted -- although I will say that I've found you a perfectly pleasant correspondent -- but I wonder what the people who care about you would say, if they heard you describe yourself in those terms?

But that's really none of my business, as I'm sure you're eager to remind me. You wanted to hear of a legend from my world, correct? As it happens I know a few about the northern aurora, although I unfortunately never had the privilege of seeing it myself. That part of the world is the territory of the line of Mobei-Jun, the kings of the Northern Desert. It is an arid, treacherous land, ice-locked throughout the year and peppered with tall, sharp-edged boulders and volcanic springs that do nothing to relieve the freezing cold. But the sky is said to dance with light, shimmering bands and sparkling colors which dazzle the mind. Over the centuries hundreds of scholars and adventurers have risked their lives for a glimpse of those lights, with only a handful ever returning to mortal lands.

In addition to their scientific name, these lights are also known as the Coronet of the Kings, for they are said to reflect the moods of the current Mobei-Jun, who in turn holds the ice of the land in his blood. Most demonic nobles hold their power through brute strength, but the Mobei-Jun stands above the rest by virtue his unique ancestral power. When a king of the Northern Desert dies, his power returns to the land, to mingle with that of his ancestors and the natural energy of the ice and stars until the successor is ready to assume the throne. When he does he takes all that energy into himself, adding it to his own power until the day he too dies. It's very rare for a Mobei-Jun to die in battle or by assassination; the power they care within makes them second only to the imperial line of heavenly demons, who claim descent from a fallen goddess.

So what do you think of that? Is it the kind of legend you were interested in? I'd be happy to share more, if you'd like.

Awaiting your reply,
Your servant,
Shen Qingqiu

Pumpkin Hollow Pen-Pal Program

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