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

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

tune

In the rolled-up piece of paper, there's a few wild violets and a small bag of dirt.

Dear Lucas,
I don't have any younger siblings, Alci's my twin sister. She looks nothing like me, but she's pretty much my best friend. I don't really know if I want a partner, but I guess there's no escaping that. Unless I go insane or something.

I do love space, how did you know? I'd love to see pictures of a nebula, there's so much pollution that we can't really see many stars anymore. Gardens are amazing! I found some wildflowers on the way home from work one day, so I dug them up and replanted them in the garden I build out behind my house. They're so pretty! I heard there's a way to send things through other than letters, so I'll see if I can send you a flower or two. Maybe you can start your own garden!

Reah sounds like a friend of mine from the Academy. I haven't seen her since I graduated, but she was really cool. I live in a pretty old housing unit, maybe 50 years old or so. There's 2 bedrooms, one for my parents, and one for Alci and I. We have the standard furniture, with some photos for decoration. In the back is my garden, with a low wall and an arch that took me like, a week to build! Alci and I sometimes go back there after work and chat.

Alright, now describe your ship to me, I wanna draw it later.
Godspeed,
Jomei

[Attached to the letter is a newspaper article about the launch of the UES Icarus with a picture of its six young crew members. The average height young man at the back with shoulder length dark brown hair is circled.]

Dear Jomei
In the article, the circled one is me. The ship is behind us.

Your place sounds really cool actually! Your garden sounds AMAZING! I would love to see it. Thank you for the flowers! The computer told me they were Violets. Our youngest crew member, the little girl with blonde pigtails in the photo, her name is Violet and she takes care of our oxygen garden. She was very excited to see them and helped me plant them and now they are in a pot on the main console of the Icarus.

I guessed you loved space because you kept saying how jealous you were. It's isn't all fun and beauty. There's so much that could go wrong. We have to check so many stats every few hours to make sure the engines are working, the life support and oxygen is working and so much else. We haven't made it to the nebula yet but next time I write we will have.

Our ship is not very big. The console room is like our meeting and relaxing area. Then as you walk down the ship you come to the oxygen farm, then the research and supply room, then the bedrooms and living facilities like bathrooms, then the technical and engine rooms. In the ship from Dayene, they have smaller bedrooms and an extra couple of spaces. They have some cryochambers in one for animals from their planet and the other is a room for them to do their tribal traditions and rituals in.

In my room I have my bed, my stuff from home like my special modified screen that let's me watch old movies, and some pictures of my friends and family back on earth. I know Reah has a prayer space in hers and Violet made herself a 'zen garden'.
What kind of things do you have in your room?

Godspeed,
Lucas

_{( ah!! 1 large McThank for the answer my guy !! )}
__

Dear Thomas,

well, since we're both new to this pen pal thing i guess we're learning together !! :)
maybe it's because things are different where we are, but 15 seems awful young to be in an arranged marriage… how do you feel about it? and can i ask if it's alright that i ask, why are you in an arranged marriage at all?
and while i do think that's awfully polite of you to respect someone even if they hate you, i'm a little concerned, do you know why she hates you? i hope things get better between you and her since she's close to Anastasia.

i guess to be fair i'll tell you some things that are equal to what you told me !
i'm 34, pretty old i know! my favorite food is, well… almost any sort of ice-cream if i'm being honest. i used to be married, and my best friend's code name is Pigeon.

i hope things go well for you!
Sincerely, Dove

Dear Sorrel,

Huh. Normal. Never been called that before. And, sorry, did you call me an angel?

And like I said, you're welcome here. Well, the government may not be so inviting, but as long as you're with me, you'll be relatively safe.

By 'it never ends well', I mean usually it either explodes, the sample deteriorates, or I come murder the person doing the experiment.

Your friend, Zenith

[Rolled up in the letter is a clump of buttercups and another bag of dirt.]
Dear Lucas,
Your ship looks so cool! What happens if the engines fail?

What's a cryochamber? It sounds pretty interesting! In my room there's the bunk bed that I share with Alci(she gets the top because I fell out once), two government-issued desks, and a bookshelf with our old schoolbooks. In the wall is the telescreen, so we can receive government updates, but we rigged up an old DVD player, so we can watch movies if we find any. Alci has some pictures of her and her friend, Mari. I have some drawings that I made, with more drawing supplies.

Anyway, what does space look like from your ship? Is it pretty? I wish it was less polluted on Earth, so we could see the stars. With this letter, I sent some more flowers, so you can expand your garden. Next time I write, I'll send a drawing of Alci and I.

Safe travels!
Godspeed,
Jomei

Zen,

I tend to see a different side of people, even murderers and stalkers. Yeah, I might sound hypocritical when it comes to Soul, but honestly, I don't give any type of care for him. He can go and die, haha. But you, you chose to befriend me, and journey with me, up until even now. I admire that in people, loyalty, and trust.

I might come and check the place out soon! Our traveling friend tested his powers again and he worked successfully. Now if only I could go back in time… That would be miraculous, I could change so many things that have happened to me. If I come over, can you teach me some self-defense? I'm awful at it, and if you can't tell already, I'm also some sort of prize, for reasons left unsaid.

With agape, Sor.

Dear Sorrel,

You're a good guy. Most people don't really get to know me. And I know we've never met, but I feel like I know you pretty well. If you get killed or hurt, have your traveller come here and bring me to your 'verse. I will happily annihilate him for you.

And yeah, I can teach you self-defense. I know everything from judo to swordfighting, so I can teach almost anything you want to learn about combat. And I understand being considered a prize a lot better than you might think.

Regards, Zenith

Zeeen,

I have an… idea. Yes, an idea! What if I were to lead him to you? That would be awesome. I would be running, and someone, he just so happened to teleport with me to you! Then boom! You obliterate him! Try and leave his skull intact, though. I'd like to have some form of tangible proof to show to his armies when he arrives, as a corpse.

And as for the fighting, I freaking love swords! They're so cool, you just swing the blade itself, and it cuts something. Dull blades are awful. Literally I'm so excited that I'm even talking like this, this is so exciting. I haven't had a leading role in the war here, besides fleeing, big time, so this is awesome! I've always wanted a role in war, and maybe a kill might be okay.

With agape, Sor.

Dear Sorrel,

My coordinates are X: ### Y: ### and Z: ###. I'll be waiting for your… delivery.

I've got some pretty cool weapons here, too. When you stop by, I can show you them. As a matter of fact, you can take some with you.

See you soon, Zenith

Translated from high Menna

Greetings.
I am happy because I know.
It is true that I am not fond of gardening, though it sometimes makes me happy.
Some are not as good singers as others.
I do not know much about the stars. But it is said that the AlFen track the path of all the stars in heavens. I do not agree. Perhaps some stars. But I disagree all. The island is called Althálos. You should know the story of it before I say write more. When the world was still clinging to youthfulness, all the tribes grew. The Menna tribe grew the greatest until they had many cities and eventually began to seize all land around. The other tribes fought back, but the might of the Menna was very great. The other tribes, as well as some Menna who disagreed with the doings of the tribe, led by Zol, sailed away in great ships to the island of Althálos. There we were safe from the armies of the Menna. There is a History written about it called Viád Zolux. {translation: Path of Zol} It is very good. But my favorite is Fatíl Arítarux. {translation: Deeds of Aritar}
My dexír is different. I think I am the first one in Kaspít Dodask to have the dexír of darkness. But there is no doubt I can use it to benefit people of my tribe and others.
I understand. Yet I do not understand what you were speaking of heavens. But I am not saddened of it.
Tell Kaz. I hope he is well of it.
I understand what you say. But I think there can be much respect for servants. Zol was a servant. And he is the most loved of all the Menna.
Often we did trade metal. And things woven of wool or other things. And packs for storage. And instruments like the Kithárn, which has seven strings. (All such instruments had only four until the Menna created their own.)
Bolós desítha tuva, {translation: Good I wish to you}
Alék

[Attached are some pictures of stars and nebulas along with a small pouch of shiny silvery powder]

Dear Jomei
Space is beautiful and huge. Its very nice to look at most of the time but sometimes it's very scary. If our engines fail, we would be stuck in the same place until we fix them. And if we can't fix them we will die out here.

Cryochambers are some container like things that freeze people or animals and keep them safe so they can come out later and be the same age.

The flowers are so cool! The colours go very nicely with the violets, and they are next to each other now.

In the pouch is some dust from a passing meteor. The ship collected some and I think you should have it.

What old movies do you have? What kind of things do you draw?

Godspeed,
Lucas

*[Attached is a drawing of a boy and a girl, about the same height. The boy has dirty-blond hair, green eyes and a blue beanie, while the girl has messy black hair and blue, gold-flecked eyes.]

Dear Lucas,
Thanks so much for the pictures and the meteor dust! I put them on my desk so I can look at them whenever I write to you.

I hope your engines don't fail, I'd be heartbroken if anything happened to you. Cryochambers sound really neat! I wish we had some on Earth. If we did, we could probably manage to bring back lots of extinct species!

Anyway, the girl in the picture is my sister, Alci, and the boy is me. I'll send you some sketches of my garden next time, if you'd like.

I like drawing people, but my specialty is plants. I have most of the 'Star Wars' series, except for the fourth one. I also have some of the 'Avengers' movies. Alci really likes those.

What kind of places have you been to? How does an oxygen garden work?

Godspeed,
Jomei

_{((whispers ok so i dunno if you've seen my answer yet?? so i'm posting it again but tagging you this time!! 'nd quick question while i'm at it- do you want me to tag you every time i answer?))} @LittleStupidPatoG

_{( ah!! 1 large McThank for the answer my guy !! )}
__

Dear Thomas,

well, since we're both new to this pen pal thing i guess we're learning together !! :)
maybe it's because things are different where we are, but 15 seems awful young to be in an arranged marriage… how do you feel about it? and can i ask if it's alright that i ask, why are you in an arranged marriage at all?
and while i do think that's awfully polite of you to respect someone even if they hate you, i'm a little concerned, do you know why she hates you? i hope things get better between you and her since she's close to Anastasia.

i guess to be fair i'll tell you some things that are equal to what you told me !
i'm 34, pretty old i know! my favorite food is, well… almost any sort of ice-cream if i'm being honest. i used to be married, and my best friend's code name is Pigeon.

i hope things go well for you!
Sincerely, Dove

Hi Alék!

Why do you not like gardening? I see it as one of the most versatile disciplines, as it covers biology, chemistry, and even artistry and history for those who are drawn to such things.

Trust me, I know that! My mom, Valerie, thinks singing to the plants make them grow better, and while there isn’t any scientific basis for that and her voice sounds like a screeching proton engine, it makes her happy, so it makes me happy.

Your island—Alt-halo, is it?—seems to have quite an interesting history! Could you describe some of the tribes and the differences between them, whether biological or cultural? And who is this Zol person, and how did they become the leader of those who travelled to Alt-halo? You also mentioned a book about someone named Aritar. Would you mind telling me about who they are and why you enjoy reading about their deeds?

Oh wow, you’re the first among your people to have the power to call upon darkness? That’s pretty ‘tastic! Why do you think the dexír you have is so rare, and do you have any theories as to why so few have it?

Space can be tricky to comprehend, so I do not blame you! For a person who has yet to leave their own planet, you are quite intelligent.

I suppose servants can be respected, it is just not a system I am very comfortable with. Even the limited nobility in some parts of the universe are required to pay those who work for them. How did Zol rise up through the ranks to command that much respect among your people?

Oh, so you trade metal and wool? What metals do your people mine and what animals do you harvest the wool from? In my galaxy, there is a creature called a loupa that fits in palm of a average humanoid’s hand. It has a soft yellow-gray wool that is very costly and highly prized among the elite. I do hope to pet one someday!

Goodbye for now!

End recording.

Yo can I join! I have a mostly developed Universe and all that jazz.

Dear Jomei
This is an amazing drawing! You're very good. I would love to see drawings of your garden!

What kind of species are left on earth? On my earth pretty much nothing was left.

Which one of the star wars movies is the fourth? Fourth in story order or age?

I think I've seen one of the avenger movies, they are very good.

I've been halfway between earth and Dayene. Then we went in a different direction. The map says there is a merchant planet a couple of days ahead, we may stop there. We've been past a lot of nebulas and stars and asteroids and meteors and it's so big out here. We haven't stopped at any planets yet so this market will be our first one! I'm kinda excited.

An oxygen garden is a garden of scientifically enhanced trees that convert carbon dioxide in oxygen much faster than usual so we don't suffocate. That's why it's so important.

Godspeed,
Lucas

P.S do you want me to look for anything at the market for you?

[on a flat piece of splintering wood]

Dear Ms. Blake,

My apologies for writing my last letter as a puff piece, It was rude of me and most certainly bad-form.

I'll have to make it up to you by making this letter extremely long and detailed.

My children's ages aren't amazing in the least, I have to be at least a few millennia old, and my mother-in-law is made of First Earth.

A few letters ago you asked about my siblings, I guess I'll have to tell you about them. I have three siblings: Eanir,(older than me, terrible, goddess of magick and riches, ha had it out for me since I was carved) Hadar, (the eldest, also terrible, god of time, bit of a slut) and Tabris. (the youngest, annoying, goddess of night, does not know how to shut up.)

To answer your second question, I don't know if they have camps and wanderers in the middle east, I've never been. I'll be sure to ask Axphion when she comes back.

Re-reading my previous letters, I realize I haven't given you very much context on certain things. So I'm going to clarify: Irius (The husband one) is the god of Health and Healing, My daughters are, from oldest to youngest, Goddesses of War, Victory and Love. My mother is goddess of Death, and she rules the Yonderside. (land of the dead) 'WW' stands for 'Westward Wind,' which is a messaging system of the gods

As my trial is soon, I'll have to tell you the story of my terrible follies and why I hate music and other such art. (also why my husband and I are torn asunder)

Hopefully,

Samlin (Virgillion) of the Yonderside

P.S. I'll be sending your river soon, Just have to find a good one!

( Okay so how's the next part going to work? Are we going to time-skip the actual part where everything goes down, and go back into letters after they return? Or something else. We've got ourselves into an interesting pinch lol. )

(I… don't know. If we do the timeskip, we won't be able to know what happened with every detail, but it still seems like our best option. What do you think?)

Enclosed is a picture of a very short 15 year old with messy red hair, in a Yellow sweater with a green jacket, and black pants and shoes. Waving a yellow flag with a green circle on it.

-Dove

Well you see arranged marriages happen all the time when your royalty. Also it was necessary to stop the war. Alexa only hates me because she didn’t like the whole arranged Marriage ideal. Also Anastasia is 17. So I guess it’s kinda awkward. But I’m completely fine with it Gets me away from.

Anyways tell me more about yourself. I wanna know what Pidgeon is like. I’m also enclosing a picture of me.

Sorry for the short letter.

-Thomas

_{(yes hello 911? Dove's motherly instincts are kicking in for this kid-)}

Dear Thomas,

ah, well that makes sense! i'm only a soldier after all, so i don't know much about how royalty do things. i'm very happy that you've stopped a war! here there always seems to be a war of some sort, but i guess even after thousands of years the world is still adjusting to the laws of The Shattering.
i'm glad that at least you're fine with how things are, i'd be willing to find a way over there if you weren't!
and don't worry about the length of your letter hun, since you're royalty i'm sure you must be somewhat busy right?

as for more about myself… well, i'm a squad leader in the military, i used to live in the Enyth kingdom, and i have wings. specifically dove wings, that's where my code name comes from.
and about Pigeon… he is a very serious man, but very caring. he's the one who took me in after convinced me to join the military. he also likes to call my squad my kids instead, i think it's his attempt at a joke? anyway, he's a very good friend!

what about your best friend? Dan? you said he's the best in your last letter, so what is he like? and Anastasia, what is she like? i'm also quite curious as to what life is like where you're from!

maybe in my next letter i could send you a picture of me as well, the only ones i have of myself at the moment are several years old. i'll talk to Em Owl about borrowing her camera.

Sincerely, Dove

Translated from high Menna

Hi Artimae.
Perhaps gardening is all you say it is. You know more. But I find it tedán. {translation: having a lack of mental stimulation because of length, or monotony} But the Dweorv would agree with you, as many of them work in the fields of grain or fruits of ground or tree.
Is a proton engine a beast on your planet? But perhaps your life teaching is correct.
Althálos. Perhaps the meaning of the name is someone who althál. Tell me if you do not understand.
I shall tell you of the tribes. You know already of the Menna. Our skin is the lightest of all the tribes. Though many of the Dweorv share our color. You know of our dexár of trade but we Menna have one more. Our greatest. It is that we have the power to medískept {translation: think deeply, ponder} more than all other tribes. If there was a great wall, an AlFen would demand entrance. A Gobé Lin would climb and jump over. A Dweorv would see that the wall was too high (the Dweorv are the shortest of the tribes). But the Menna would build a ladder. I hope this gives you understanding.
The Dweorv are the strongest of all the tribes. A grown man of them could carry a man of full height. Their strength also does not wane. They do not grow tired like other people. They have dark hair and wise faces and all live together as a large family. As I said, they grow many plants of all kinds. Some keep animals. But each work together to make a whole.
The AlFen are tall, dark, beautiful, and arrogant. They are also skilled in hearing and running. And their eyes glow sometimes. Like the eyes of a cat. They say their tribe name means… it is like a dexár but where we have a tool, they have beauty. They value beauty as highest of all things. The Menna have created things that make one beautiful to sell to the AlFen. All but the wisest will pay all one asks. Many of these sold things do not hold any truth.
The AlFen also think that those without beauty dexár are less valuable. Unsimilar to the Dweorv who say beauty is nothing without the biánim {translation: life force} of love, without which all things lack beauty. I think the Dweorv are right.
The Gobé Lin are difficult to speak of. Their Histories are not here. No one knows why. They are an odd color. A sort of grey brown that is hard to see when they hide. They are a bloody people that have a dexár of a string between eyes and hands. They are very skilled in throwing rocks or darts. It is said that they never miss. Because of their missing Histories and that they kill any tribe that comes near, we do not know much. But I doubt they were as evil in the past. Else why would Zol protect them?
Zol is the first Menna to have a great dexár. (Light and biánim as I have said.) He was also a leader of others like him, and tried to go between armies to stop war. The tribe leaders bowed to him by will only. Because of his goodness he was honored.
Arítar was a great hero. He was sired by a Prokustos {Uncertain translation. Possibly guardian, or lesser god, or demigod} and so was the strongest of all people. He went through many trials and gained much honor. He tamed a monstrous horse to be his own and even liberated a mortaled Prokustos from the Shadowlands. His years and adventures were many, and at an old age he sired descendants that still walk the world this day. There is even a new History that has just been discovered about Arítar. But I have not read it yet.
There is at least one other that has had the dexár of Darkness. His name was Karák. He was the first disciple of Zol. He chose to hold inside himself the Traprodos, Morlus. (A Trapródos is a Prokústos who chose to do evil.) He was driven off by Zol's might. But he returned to Kaspít Dodáskux when Lord Sorás was a baby to kill all those with great dexár. All died but one and Morlús was driven off until Sorás could drive him from this world in battle.
The dexír are given from above, or through blood. I do not know why I have mine.
Thank you! But I am not wise. I only know some things.
All servants are paid. But not in money. Many are given what can be given. Like a night in a house, or a meal, or a small pack of tools.
The Menna trade in all that can be sold. But whatever metal is dug from the ground or the mountains. There is a part of the tribe of Dweorv that digs in mountains for metal to trade and emerald to keep. The Menna trade with them for the metal to shape into many things. And some Menna keep herds. Sheep are the most common herd to keep. I hope you may see this creature you desire.
Vant! {translation: Good bye!}