forum Letters Across the Universe (Always open. Say you read page one stuff)

Started January 29, 2020 by @Althalosian-is-the-father book

tune

Dear Conner,
I'm glad I could help you! I hope you enjoy your trip. And yes, I'm really grateful to have family and actual friends now, I don't know what I would do without them.
Yes, so my friends and I do some interdimensional/intertimensional traveling sometimes. It's really disorienting and weird but once you get a taste of the adventure, it's really hard not to like it. So from what I understand, Chelsea and Theo both have these devices that allow for these to happen. They have these watches that allow for time travel and compasses that allow for portals to other dimensions to be opened. I won't go into detail about the technology because I don't really have any clue how it works, but it's cool. Anyway, so with time travel to the past, you can't change anything about history and you can't die, but it's great because you can watch history unfold. Chelsea went back with a list of historical mysteries, and wrote down what actually happened in those situations where records were destroyed or were inaccurate to begin with. She found out what happened to the bones of Alexander the Great (which had disappeared), how the pyramids were built (mostly with slaves, unfortunately, no aliens were involved), etc. She thinks that time travel could be a very helpful tool for historians in the future once it becomes more widespread, especially because you can't change things. And I've never traveled to the future, but Chelsea and Theo said it's not worth it. I don't know why, I'll ask sometime - not sure if they've been there and thought it was lame, or whether that's not possible, but I'll ask.
Traveling between dimensions is as easy as opening a portal, then going through it. But explaining what exactly you go into isn't as simple as saying "it's the multiverse!" because the multiverse is incomprehensibly huge, and incredibly confusing. So the easiest way to get anywhere in the multiverse is a thing we call "the breach." It's basically a dimension where there are preexisting portals to other dimensions that you can open and close without having to expend your own resources. From there, you can travel to anywhere imaginable - there's dimensions that have fantastical creatures and pantheons of exotic gods, and futuristic dimensions where everyone has robotic companions. Theo likes to joke about this one time where Chelsea beat an Eldritch being (which she said aren't really scary, she speculates that it was just Lovecraft's deep issues that caused him to portray them as horrifying monsters) at a chess boxing match. Also, from what I understand, our mythos comes from little bits of other dimensions leaking into our reality, which is nuts. That also implies that our dimension would leak into others, making us humans mythical from the perspective of some of the other alien races and cultures in the multiverse. Who knows? Maybe Bob Ross is an immortal art deity in another dimension, or something. Man, that's so weird to think about.
Also, you have good taste in the stuff you watch. Bob Ross and Doctor Who, those are both great. Hmm, maybe I should convince Chelsea to call her watch the Tardis, haha. And I don't mind you sharing the letters - I think I might show them to my friends too! Chelsea was talking about a correspondence she was having kind of like ours, but with the Angel of Death herself. How crazy is that?
So for questions: You and your friend's lives seem pretty chill. Is that the case or has something been going on when things aren't going so smoothly. You mentioned that some of your friends have rough home lives. Are they okay?
Anyway, have a great day, man!
Sincerely,
Meryn

@RedTheHopeless Here we go :D (It will probably get longer once we get goin)

[It’s an old, dusty box of some sort. When picked up, it suddenly alights blue from within its seams, showing quite the glitching hologram. It’s a projection of a young boy, about 17, with shaggy black hair and dark blue eyes. He pokes at what seems to be the box, and the raspy sound of static audio drifts from the worn speakers. From there, he begins speaking]

Hello? This thing on?
Well, if it is, then hello. I’m number eight— more formally known as Sire.
This is my first time recording one of these, so sorry if the audio is… terrible. Moxie, my sister, made me do it.

[Long pause ; The boy takes a deep breath, adjusting the ‘camera’]

I don’t know if this made it anywhere. Not many things exit the Sanctuary. Mostly why I’m conducting this so-called ‘project.’ Seeing if this recorder can actually make it outside the gates.

If this does reach anyone, let me know. Address anything sent back to Cabin 303, Scornpost. I should be taking a trip there soon.

[Another long sigh ; The boy puts his face in his hands and rubs his eyes slowly, shaking his head]

Not that I have much faith that this will reach anyone. The last humans I saw were… right here in the Sanctuary with me.

If you get this, please write back. Or record. Hologram? I don’t know the term. Just let me know we aren’t the only ones out here.

Thank you. Signing out.

[With a last nod, the boy presses another button on the box, and the hologram fizzles out]

(Of course. Thank you for being my character's "PenPal" lmao, I can't wait to see what each will discover about the other. I'm gonna do my intro as more of a "snapshot," since if I were to write out everything leading up to the response, you'd probably be bored to death.)

[A pale young boy of around twelve approached the box curiously, his shaggy blonde hair being flung around his face by intense wind. He reached forward to grab the box and jumped back in surprise at the sudden blue light. The boy scurried away swiftly, disappearing into the surrounding duststorm. But just as quickly as he left, he reappeared, but with some company in tow; a young man in his early twenties, with skin as dark as the storm that swirled around them and eyes as vibrant as roses. His ponytail of black curls lashed behind him as he quickened his pace upon seeing the box.]

[A few weeks passed by before the box was returned to the universe it originated from. The box seems to have been tinkered with, and almost seems cleaner than it was when it was sent out. There was also a cylindrical metal container attached to the box. Inside the container is a rolled piece of durable parchment. Once unrolled, the parchment seems to contain writing–a letter.]

Addressed to Number Eight of the Sanctuary,

Number Eight, I pray this message is able to reach you as you live, and that my letter hasn't arrived many years too late. I checked in the deepest corners of the archives in Paglia, but I found nothing indicating the existence of any places called "Sanctuary" or "Scornpost."

My name is Talrius. I was partaking in an assignment granted to me by the Kien when my Guide stumbled upon your intriguing box. I hope you don't mind my curiosity, but I disassembled and reassembled the contraption to get a better idea of how it worked. It holds a remarking resemblance to some of the advanced tools left behind by the Firsts. I know it's impossible for you to be one of the Firsts, as they're all dead, but I do wonder if you are like them.

If this letter is able to reach you, please do respond. Call it instincts, but I have a feeling we can learn much from each other.

Sent from Talrius of the Blodano, second Heir to the Kien and first son of Janawa

[In the upper left and the lower right corners of the parchment appear to be a design similar to emblems of a mythical creature, though what exact creature it is, is rather hard to figure out, though it does hold a familiar resemblance to a manticore. Near the bottom of the page, in the same hand-writing, is an extra message, as if Talrius may have forgotten to mention something during the bulk of his letter.]

Oh, I also cleaned it–you're welcome. It should hopefully improve the quality of your intangible message in time, or Hologram, which you called it.

[A cleaner-looking box adressed to Talrius of the Blodano, second Heir to the Kien and first son of Janawa. When approached, the slits glow blue once more. The same image hologram of the young boy appears, although it looks cleaner with less glitches. The boy looks noticeably disheveled, like he hasn’t slept in many days. His face twists into a sort of uncomfortable smile as the audio turns to slightly cleaner static than before.]

Hello, Talrius! Wonderful! I’m so happy this actually got to someone. I’m… I haven’t been able to think much or do much since then. To think— there are actually other people out there!

[The boy takes a moment, head in his hands and sucking in a deep breath]

And I’ve never heard of … Paglia? That’s what you called it? Maybe that’s why you were unable to find Scornpost. Not that it’s not already sort of difficult to find. And, nor do I know of the Firsts? I’m not sure who they are, or if they even exist from where I am.
But, now that I found you, maybe I could ask some questions? For research, of course.

[He takes out a small piece of notebook paper, unfolding it and reading some off]

So, where are you from? And what’s it like? How are you dealing with the Paranoia? Or… maybe you don’t have those? If you do, then I’m sorry, but if you’re unfamiliar with those monsters… well, then I’m so happy for you.
Anyway, sorry for all the questions. I should probably give one at a time. Just… maybe tell me about yourself? Curiosity has the best of me.

[He reaches for the button to end the hologram but pauses, eyes alight]

Oh— almost forgot. You can call me Sire, if you’d like. Th-Thanks so much, Talrius.

[The image frame freezes, and the audio static ceases as he clicks the button]

[The box is returned in roughly the same amount of time as before. Of course, there is another metal cylinder containing another letter. However, when touched, the box loads a different video. It's a short clip of Talrius alone inside of a tent. He's close, and working on the box, tinkering with its parts, then turning to write down the information he gained. He looks up from his writing, confusion quickly turning into excitement as he rushed toward the recording box. The video clip abruptly ends as Talrius fiddled with the button on the side. The recording contains no audio.]

Addressed to Sire of the Sanctuary

Hello, Sire. I'm beyond relieved being able to hear from you again. Yes, there are other people out here. So many people. You aren't alone, Sire.

You don't know of Paglia? The capital of the Eight Nations? The home of the current Kien and her Court? Not to mention that you don't know the legend of the Firsts? I find all that hard to believe, but then again, stranger things have occurred. Of course, I'd love to answer as many questions as I can in the name of research, so long as you'll do the same for me.

I am from the nation of Blodano, though I retain few memories of my childhood there. From what I do remember, it's cold, and dark, and quiet–also very comfortable. I have plans to revisit soon, after my work here in Ligeatrek is done. For the majority of my life, I spent my time in the castle in Paglia, with the Kien and the other Heirs. It was until recently that I was granted permission to travel beyond the neutral borders of the capital. The permission, however, was not granted lightly. I had to prove to the Kien that my mission is that of a noble cause, and I had to ensure my safety by bringing along two able-bodied individuals, of which one had to be a Champion. Enough about myself, I digress.

I have no knowledge of these "Paranoia" monsters of which you speak. What do they look like? Or, perhaps I should be asking what they are instead? Either way, it seems I'm unfamiliar with those beings. What is it like where you are? Why are you so surprised that there are other people out there? How did you come into possession of a tool similar to that which the Firsts used? Most prominently, how do I get this box to "work"?

Apologies for my many questions, but some things just aren't adding up.

Sent from Talrius of the Blodano, second Heir to the Kien and first son of Janawa

( @Divine-Irish-Potato, I’m a little busy at the moment. Expect an answer tomorrow or Saturday)

(Thats fine)

Dear Meryn,

Wow, that all sounds so interesting! If only I could travel interdimensionally…sounds like a dream. Thanks for telling me all that, haha! The group was really enamored by it, especially Jonas, who loves science and astrophysics. I bet if you were writing him instead of me, he would be asking you so many questions.

As for your question, well…yeah, there are some things going on…You see, some of us aren't in very good places family/home wise. Faith's parents sadly died in an airplane crash when she was little, and she lives with her mother's cousin now. Myra's parents divorced a few years back and she hasn't seen her dad since. Um…Jamie lives with their mom, but she's really alcoholic and abusive to them. Unfortunately, most of the parents of my LGBT friends are homophobic, so they have that to deal with. There are others of us who also struggle with mental disorders or physical disabilities. It's pretty rough, honestly; like I said, my parents do all they can to help and be the parental figures that they lack. The parents of Alex's boyfriend do a lot too.

I really don't want to end on a bad note, so I'll mention that everyone in the group thinks very highly of you and wants you to know that they hope you're doing well, Jonas most of all.

I hope everything is going well with you, tell your friends I said hello!

Namaste,
Conner

P.S. Thanks for the compliment on our watching tastes :)

Dear Conner,
Man, that must be really hard for all of your friends. Props to all of them for sticking through everything, and to your parents for being so welcoming to everyone. I'm bi, and I'm really lucky to have parents who are accepting of that. Tell them all to keep staying strong. Man, I bet they must be so excited about the all of you moving in together when it happens.
I'm doing fairly well, and I hope everyone with your group is too.
My group's going through a bit of a rough time, because Chelsea has always acted strangely less warm towards Aysen, even though he's a really sweet dude. She said she just didn't trust him, and we had no idea why she was acting up at the time, because she's really friendly. I mean, she opened up towards him because they share a lot of interests, and she basically respected him just as much as everyone else in our group. But recently, he told us that he suffers from this thing that's like a compulsive desire to steal (I forgot the word, Theo would know though) and he also has issues regarding hacking and some other stuff. Chelsea, as you can imagine, was pretty hurt and a little self-defensive but took it surprisingly well after the initial shock, and we've been trying to support him as he's trying to gradually get away from these destructive behaviors. So I guess that's a thing that happened. It's been cooling down, and it'll take a while for Aysen to completely eradicate these habits, but those events kind of helped because now we all feel more comfortable about being open in regards to our problems. I'll probably be next in line, regarding my "condition…" Anyway, time heals all wounds, or more accurately, wounds usually heal with time, so I'm not too worried, and I'm sure everything will work itself out.
I feel like Jason would have a lot of fun talking to Theo. I don't know, their interests seem to line up.
Anyway, my friends say hello, and I hope everything's doing well for your group!
Have a great day!
Sincerely,
Meryn

Dear Allison,
Sorry, I meant periods in general. Wow, game development? Modeling? I don’t think I’d be able to do that haha. I admire you, ma’am. Dove likes to write/draw those kinds of things too. I’m still not sure how magic here works, but my mom says she knows someone who’s researching it. I do know that I was born with it, that my powers manifest at will, and some things are harder than others. But I still have questions. Anyway, my mom said the hatred of witches has a long history. Partly because of religion and misogyny (though mom says there are boy witches too), partly because of possessed witches (I don’t know much about these). They used to torture and execute a lot of women who weren’t even witches. Nothing like that happens anymore, but I’ve heard of underground witch hunting groups that target certain witches and hidden witch towns. Kind of like the Mafia. It’s why we have to have an alias for ourselves.
What happens if you use mad up Latin? Does it affect what you’re doing or does just not work? Why is enchanted a weapon hard? Is it just inanimate objects in general?
All the best,
Crow
P. S. Dove wants to know if you have a drawing/ writing pet peeve

Dear Crow,
It takes a long time to enchant things, that's why it's more difficult. We can enchant both living and non-living things, but it's harder to enchant living things. It usually has a .1% success rate, compared to a 99% success rate on non-living things. If we use made-up Latin, nothing happens. I hate it when people use stereotypes in books and are lazy when it comes to lore and plot. Also, the usage of adverbs at times when it's not needed irritates me. Also, don't call me ma'am, I'm like 27. Not to be rude or anything. So, how do you use your magic? Is it verbal? Silent? Sung? Tell me, please!
I'm currently traveling between dimensions with Azrael Reaper (the Angel of Death), Vozreal (villian-turned-good-guy), and two 14-year olds named Leo and Kelsey, I think they're called?
Sincerely,
Allison