The Vastness is Bearable Only Through Love

Dear Toast,

Nothing says you have to switch then! Names are important. They mean things. That's why its about whatever name means the most to you.

It's okay! I know I'm lucky in a lot of ways. I have so many great friends who help look after me, and I get to do so many interesting things here that I wouldn't get to do anywhere else. Even when I'm feeling bad, I try to remember those things and it helps a lot.

Thank you for saying all that though. I know you said you're still struggling with where you're supposed to be or who, but I'm glad you're here.

Don't worry, I'll keep your gatorade secrets.

Zipping my lips,

Pretzel

@jangle-toast

ornateserpent

Pretzel,

I drop my phone often enough that it doesn't stand much of a chance, but also I'm not sure I'd like reading much on it either. That feels a little distant from the idea of a book.

Right now most of what I'm reading are textbooks and that probably isn't very exciting to anyone else. Although the university library does have a few books about the history of Enchantra that I've checked out a few times.

I like the park! I do like watching people there with their dogs, sooner or later I'm going to get one but that would be a little too difficult to manage right now. I've never had a dog before though so it's definitely something I want.

Most of my favorite places are outside but I also really don't like the cold so I'm just waiting for the weather to warm up. While I'm stuck inside I've been spending a lot of time at Chapter Three, or the bakery because it's warm in there and the way the place smells reminds me of family.

- Ornate

@pretzelarrow

Dear Ornate,

Oh no! I know that feeling. I've gotten better about dropping my phone, but i've had some bad times with it, and its still not perfect. I had to replace my whole phone a little while back because I dropped it badly enough that the whole thing broke.

I don't know, I like textbooks. They're very interesting and informative and they help me learn new things. I spend a lot of time reading textbooks myself. But the history of Enchantra sounds fascinating.

Have you gone to Ruff to Fluff? Even fi you don't adopt a dog, you can play with the ones they have there and they usually really like the company. I don't have a dog either but its fun to get to play with them whenever I can.

I love Chapter Three and the Bakery as well, those are great places. How does it remind you of family?

Curiously,

Pretzel

@ornateserpent

#ornateserpent

delightfulsaladpie

Dear Pretzel,

Well see, all those scenarios, to me, require a fair amount of strength. It takes guts to want something so bad, and it takes guts to keep going when you feel like you got no choice. Maybe there is a difference, but I guess that difference is not so apparent to me. But then, I'm not really the first of anything-- and thank goodness for that!

As for the things I like, why, there are so many! I love music and performing the most. I love reading, though too-- I especially love poetry. History ain't bad at all; I find it fascinating. Let's see... I also like fashion and getting dressed up and shopping, especially thrifting, and spending time with my friends and getting my tarot cards read!

What about you?

Delightful

Dear Delightful,

I suppose so? I've never thought of it that way. I'll have to think about that more, and maybe try to figure out what I meant too.

All of that sounds amazing! I mean, sort of opposite me in a lot of ways but that would only make it better to hear you talk about it and get to see all of it through your eyes.

I love reading, although I mostly read everything that isn't poetry, especially a lot of graphic novels or reference things. I love puzzles of all kinds. I like to find things that aren't working and take them apart so I understand how they work, and then put them back together again so they can work better. I like to take care of little succulent plants and make them grow. But the best is always getting to spend time with my friends.

Cheerfully,

Pretzel

@delightfulsaladpie

#delightfulsaladpie

blitzenillusion

Ode to Pretzels ,

Don’t feel bad! I think cheese might be the acceptable answer for just about anything.

Cheese > everything

I totally forgot to even comment on how cute the arrows you made are! I think cute is the right adjective. Are you some sort of chef or you just like food crafting?

I do all sorts of things! I’ll admit I like a social media scroll. A big fan of movies. I work a lot so it’s nice for downtime to be filled with low stimulus activities….

…but I do like some more spicy activities too but who doesn’t!

-Blitzen

@pretzelarrow

Dear Blitzen,

Thank you! I'm not a chef even a little bit and I don't do that much food crafting. I'm not very good in the kitchen. But I knew that I was doing this, and I figured I could handle sticking the pretzels into the gummies to make the shape.

I'm not a big social media person, but I do like movies! I haven't seen that many, but I'm trying to watch a lot of new ones. The only ones I can't really do are horror movies. I get too jumpy.

I hope you've been able to relax a little bit with all the letters! It's different from a social media scroll I suppose, but I've been having fun.

Best wishes,

Pretzel

@blitzenillusion

blitzenillusion

Ode to Pretzels -

Cheese is the right answer but I am a mustard aficionado. If you mix some hard mustard with some good cheese…bangin.

Well I feel like everyone know Rudolph. Then pranced has a few movies of his own. Vixen is a little minx. Comet and Cupid…come on.

Blitzen just sounds like a cool dude that is just trying to make the team better but everyone else keeps over shining him.

Idk it just makes sense up in my noggin.

Happy to make ya smile! Here for you pretzel!

I could go for a nice charcuterie you know. Cheese and some berries. Nice meat and maybe a jam.

I like to graze.

- Blitzen

@pretzelarrow

Dear Blitzen,

I like mustard too! Now I feel bad for not picking mustard. It's nothing against mustard at all, its just that cheese goes with so many different snacks and can even be a snack all on its own. But that does sound delicious, I'm going to have to try it.

I like your explanation! Its good for everyone to have people that celebrate them. I bet Blitzen likes knowing they've got such a cool fan.

Charcuterie is very good. Its like having all kinds of different food in one so you don't have to make too many choices.

Most of the time I'm eating a lot of different snack foods because I find them hard to resist. I even made the little pretzel arrows for my picture mostly so I could eat them as a salty sweet snack .They were great!

Do you like to do anything while you're enjoying your charcuterie?

Snackily,

Pretzel

@blitzenillusion

blitzenillusion

Ode to Pretzels,

Do you like your pretzels with cheese or mustard? Sorry have to know! This is very important intel.

I am no magician I just thought the name was cool. Reindeer are dope and blitzen might be my favorite. Illusions is kinda what this whole thing is about isn’t it.

Hidden behind names.

Doesn’t matter much if it’s late! We can do a quick little virtual date here. No pressure no rush!

- Blitzen

@pretzelarrow

Dear Blitzen,

Hm. I suppose with cheese between those two? Cheese is always delicious so its great to go on pretzels too.

What makes Blitzen your favorite of the reindeer?

I like that idea, that we're all sort of making illusions right now to hide. It makes it seem like lots of fun. Which this is! I'm glad that I didn't miss out on your emails, they're already making me smile.

What snack do you like to get with your pretzels on our virtual date?

Excitedly,

Pretzel

@blitzenillusion

vitrealissour

PA,

I promise it's not so impressive haha. I could vibe with a graphic novel though! And it would depend on the memoir's author on if I could finish one. Whose have you read?

I really like a scary movie, so any slasher classic is really great to get into the genre. Scream is an iconic series and set a lot of horror tropes that modern films use all the time. Music... I'm a bit everywhere with it. I like alternative, indie, folk, classics. I've been really into Florence + the Machine lately. She's just awesome.

VS,

The one I just finished reading was called October Sky. It was all about this group of friends who got really inspired by the rockets being launched into space, so they started to try and figure out how to launch their own small ones. It was really interesting! I don't know a lot about that whole time period, but it made me want to try and build a rocket. I haven't done it yet though.

Ah, I'm not really big into horror movies. I get too anxious and I jump at everything and then I can't sleep for ages afterward. I know a lot of people who loves them though so i try and watch them occasionally. I get why people like it so much.

I've listened to Florence and the Machine! Not a lot of it, but I've really liked the songs I've listened to. I should listen to more of it for sure.

@vitrealissour

#vitrealissour

vitrealissour

PA,

I play the guitar actually. I am not like the best at it, but I do it pretty regularly.I get what you mean by feelings stuck though. It can feel like you're just in a loop with no progress if you don't remember where you started.

What kind of projects do you do? What stuff do you read? I don't read as much as I used to but I mainly watch movies and listen to music for fun. It sounds boring but it's life I guess.

VS,

That's amazing! I don't play any kind of instrument, but I love getting to listen to them get played and I think that's really impressive that you can do that.

I read a lot of different things. I like to read whatever my friends recommend to me because its the best way to find new books! I've been reading a lot of graphic novels recently since that's easier to read when I get busy, but I also read some cool memoirs recently.

Do you have any movies you like to recommend? Or music?

Bookishly,

@vitrealissour

#vitrealissour

delightfulsaladpie

Dear Pretzel,

Too long? I was hoping it was gonna keep going and going!

Dang, now I feel like I really should have done the wiki deep dive like you told me to do. I had no clue all that about calculators, but you know, they really are a miracle machine in my eyes. Lord knows I'd not be able to rub two numbers together to get their sum without the use of one of those! And this is why I'm not a math or science person, generally speaking.

Meanwhile, that Edith Clarke lady? Well, you left me on a cliffhanger, so I went and looked her up myself. She's known as the Smart Grid’s ‘Founding Mother.’ Ain't that something! And the first woman to first woman to earn as MS in electrical engineering from MIT!

Granted, I think being the first of anything is rather lonely. You got to be real strong to do somethin' like that.

Anyway, feel free to send me long emails at any time. Who needs a museum wehn I got pretzelarrow in my pocket? :)

-delightful

Dear Delightful,

Really? I know not everyone is interested in these kinds of things, and we're all writing a lot of different letters, so I didn't want to bore you. I know I can talk a lot when it comes to things like this.

Oh that's amazing! Now I feel like I need to find out lots more about her. The nice thing about wikipedia is it does cite its sources, and apparently there's a book called Famous Women Engineers in History that gave some of the information, but it'll probably tell me about a lot of other interesting people like that. I'll have to see if I can find it and learn more cool facts.

I don't know if its always strong to be the first at something. Sometimes I think its just that you want something badly enough you know how bad it would be not to do it. Or you're in a place where you have no other choice. Sometimes if you need something badly enough and there is no one else, you have to do it yourself.

Sorry. Maybe that doesn't make any sense.

You said you aren't a math/science person. What kinds of things do you like?

Gratefully,

Pretzel

@delightfulsaladpie

#delightfulsaladpie

Dear blitzenillusion,

Hello there! It's nice to meet you! I know this is maybe a little late, but hopefully we'll see him a chance to talk a little bit and it'll be nice. I really like your name. Can you do illusion magic? Or do you just like them?

Sincerely,

Pretzelarrow

@blizenillusion

Dear Pretzel,

I think I'll be safe from the dough if it decides to come alive and attack in the night at least. That's the important bit.

I understand that. There's a lot of people that say my name differently than how my family would say it too. I don't hold it against them, it's really hard to say if you don't speak the language. It's kind of a weird thing for me anyways though because in a way I did get to change my name but now I feel like I got back and forth between which one I want to be known as. I like both of them though, I wouldn't change them again for something else. I' glad you like your name too though :) I think it's nice to feel like you were named something fitting.

Yeah I can always look into it. Or just convince my friends that live somewhere else to start sending postcards too lol.

........no.

It was yellow... - I can't believe they haven't done red in the last twenty five years that's crazy for what is clearly the superior color.

Sadly (jk),

Toast

@pretzelarrow

Dear Toast,

I think its nice that you don't really have to choose. You can use whichever name feels better, and I bet your friends would be happy to switch between them if you ask. If your name changes how comfortable you feel, it should get to change with you.

I suppose that's why I don't really want to change. I have a hard time feeling comfortable a lot of the time. Having my name still be the same means there's at least one place I fit.

Oh true! Postcards sound very fun indeed. Plus those come with pictures too!

I'm sorry you lost your bet. Yellow is a nice color too! It isn't my favorite, but it goes with lots of other colors and it's a very happy color. I suppose that's why they picked it for when they won.

Maybe you should get some red gatorade just for yourself.

Cheerily,

Pretzel

@jangle-toast

unclecola

pretzelarrow,

i think having someone recommend books to me would be like the best way to get me to read bc i'd love to have someone to yap with about it later. Sometimes when i don't know anyone who has read the same book as me i feel less motivated bc its hard to find someone who gets it

Its p interesting! and yeah you can, i love a game with good character customization. you can either try n make yourself so you look cool and badass in the game and stuff or you can just like come up with an oc and be whoever you want.

im not much of an artist haha i can maybe doodle a stickfigure if i try real hard so most artstyles impress me hahaha. i bet you could figure it out if you're the artistic type. I believe in you pretzel!

Thanks<3 I like listening to you too (or reading you ig lol) but that's really cool! i always feel like i gotta do something with my hands lol they hate being still. probably why i play games in my downtime lol.

Ooh that sounds interesting. I do love hockey actually lol, i grew up watching a ton of it. i'll have to look into that one!

do you like any sport? (To watch or to play)

Curiously,

UncleCola

@pretzelarrow

Dear UncleCola,

Then that's perfect! I can recommend books, but also if there's one you want to read, we could maybe even read it at the same time and talk about it afterward. I suppose that is sort of like a book club, but I think it would be really fun!

I don't think even a game would be able to make me look cool and badass haha. But it would be fun to play around with it and see what I could do.

If you really wanted to, you could probably do more. I wasn't very good when I started, but I spent a lot of time practicing. It's why I mostly draw things like buildings. They stay still long enough that I can practice getting good at them. People are much much harder. I've tried doing more of a cartoon style sometimes, but it looks terrible every time. My proportions are all wrong.

Oh really? That's great! Then hopefully the hockey bits of it are good, I only know a little bit so I couldn't compare.

I really like volleyball and I played it for awhile. But I think I've probably watched baseball the most so that's the sport I know best. Oh, and a lot of football. My cousin was on the football team at PrideU for awhile and it was fun to go cheer on all his games! I'm not very good at playing, but I'll watch almost anything.

Pretzelarrow

@unclecola

#unclecola

Dear Pretzel,

omg Isaac Gluten..... that's a funny one too. You're probably right. Maybe I should just let the dough pick its own name if it comes to life anyways. It can be brad in the meantime, but I'll let it know if it wants to pick its own name when it comes alive to be an evil dough-verlord that it's totally fine.

Do you like your name? If you had the chance to change it do you think you would, or would you stick with it?

yeah I think so too. I do have some people I could be pen-pals with but I wouldn't want to wait to ehar back from them in letter formate... So i guess just texting is a form of pen-pals but I do like the idea of not-knowing who I'm talking to! At least in the beginning.

I don't know if it's a spoiler but it's probably easier to explain in person. very technical. The gatorade bet is... well, there's a classic thing people bet on for the superbowl and one of those things is like... when the team wins, they usually dump their cooler of drink (gatorade) onto their coach or mvp. So a bet they do is what color/flavor is the gatorade going to be. It hasn't been red in literally the last like twenty years. But I have a good feeling about it this year (no i don't)

Thank you i tried!!!

Jangletoast

@pretzelarrow

Dear Toast,

I think that sounds very nice. That way your starter knows you're listening and willing to be a good friend no matter what, but its still good to have a way to show you know its a being before that point.

Dough-verlord made me laugh as well. I like that.

I don't think I would change it. I like the way it sounds. It's a little strange because my name sounds different when my family says it over when people do it here, but that's partially because its hard for people to say it that same way. So in a way, it feels like I have a special family way it gets said and a special friend way. So I already have lots of names.

Would you change yours? Why?

Maybe there are other pen pal programs you could try if you've been having fun with this? I don't know a lot about it, but I'm sure you could find something.

So, did you win the bet?

Happily,

Pretzel

@jangle-toast

Dear Pretzel,

Omg i hope so. I've been so nice to it and everything!! I feed it and I talk to it and I beg it not to die! All very nurturing! i swear if it comes alive like those goo monster things we had years back and isn't nice to me I'd be so mad. Maybe I should name it though!! just to be safe. Should I name it bread puns like this website suggests like Breadley Cooper? 'Jesus (he has risen)' wow that one's funny but also probably will risk the smite of god. Maybe I should just name it........ brad. though maybe it's a lady dough. .............mrs. brad. wait but what if it's non gendered!! mx. brad!! ugh

Aww well that's okay you get to do it now! Yeah, I guess that's true. It's just... fun to talk to people. I love the idea of pen-pals but it doesn't really seem to be a thing anymore so this is like that.

Okay. I'll tell you at the event though. I think I'd be on the Seahawks side of things. I have beef with the Patriots. I'm not invested though for sure. There have been years that... the only thing that mattered was winning. This year I just hope both teams have fun. And that I win my sports bet for Gatorade color (red - terrible odds, great payout)

Naively hopeful,

Toast

Dear Toast,

Breadley Cooper made me giggle. Maybe Breadie Mercury? Leonardough da Vinci? Isaac Gluten? (Okay I'll admit I looked up a list of pun names for those suggestions too.) I'm guessing that if its dough, it probably doesn't think about gender the way people do so it wouldn't be that bothered by its name. Maybe for bread brad is a non gendered name! Names having a gender is a little weird anyway. They're names. They should be about you.

I like being pen pals with people too. I think its supposed to be when you're far away from people, but almost everyone I know is here so that makes it hard. But we can keep writing as long as we want!

Maybe when we see each other you can tell me about the beef with the Patriots, since I guess that's probably going to be a spoiler. What's the Gatorade bet?

Proud of your sign off,

Pretzel

@jangle-toast

Dear Pretzel,

It's actually kind really gross looking like a little... what are those little like...squishy microscopic dudes. Idk it's both scary and cool at the same time, I'm afraid it's gonna come to life and come out of its jar overnight. Oh I hate baking!! I just have a good baker to help me. Baking is like... an entirely different field.

I mean they're so small what do they expect?

Yeah I don't really remember how my last one faired to be honest. I guess not terribly because I'm not scarred about it but... I also like don't remember.... Maybe we wrote together!!

Oh yeah? I think he's pretty good. Bad Bunny's been good so far too! I hope he does well, it's probably an honor and also so scary lol.

Not every year, but the last few years for sure. I definitely have a favorite team! omg should I say it? is it obvious if i do??? idk how much you know about football lol. I think people here care about it more than I'd guess other towns in england do bc of so many americans being here.

Toast

@pretzelarrow

Dear Toast,

Hopefully if it does, it'll think you're a friend since you've been feeding it and taking care of it. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if it was a friendly little dough guy! It might even ahve some good baking tips. Did you name your starter? I've heard that ltos of people name theirs.

Oh, I didn't try the letter writing part the last time it happened here in town, so we couldn't have been matched together. But I'm glad to hear you didn't have a bad experience last time! Hopefully this one is good as well. I mean, with how much we've written today, it seems like you're at least having a little bit of fun. I know I am!!

I didn't think about it being obvious. I guess keep it a secret for now! I don't know a lot about American football, but I have some friends who are American so I know a little bit. Maybe you can just say if there's one of the teams you're cheering for tonight?

Sort of sportily,

Pretzel

@jangle-toast

Dear Pretzel,

I think it's very useful! You can use bread in so many things. Though honestly I do try to limit myself a bit. Carbs and all. It's hard though because I finally learned how to make sourdough, which is a whole thing because you basically have to raise a child first.

Have you ever had pocky? I's almost like chocolate pretzels... They're fun to eat.

I think maybe I'll go. Idk what else I'd be doing.. I mean working, probably but... I don't know, I might as well. I've done it before. If anything, you can meet new friends right? Or find people to teach how to juggle :)

I've been into Kendrick Lamar recently, but I also started listening to Bad Bunny just because he's going to be playing in the SuperBowl! Which is really cool. I don't care about the teams this year but.. Idk it's fun to watch.

Toast

@pretzelarrow

Dear Toast,

Oh that sounds amazing! I've never made sourdough myself, but I've seen one of the starters in its jar which is both cool and weird. It looks like a little guy all the bubbling and growing it does. I'm really impressed you've learned how to make sourdough!!! You must be great at baking.

I have! They aren't as salty as pretzels, but they are very fun to eat and its so easy to just eat a whole package all in one go.

Exactly! I've lived writing with a lot of the people I've met through here, and it'll be nice to meet them in person and keep being friends with them. Plus maybe some of my other friends will be there and I'll get to see if they met anyone they really like.

I've heard a little bit of Kendrick Lamar, but I don't know anything about Bad Bunny. I'll have to check him out! His name is very fun.

Do you watch the Superbowl every year? Do you have a favorite team even if they didn't make it?

Best wishes,

Pretzel

@jangle-toast

delightfulsaladpie

Hi Pretzel,

Oh, you sound real handy! So you fix things for a living? Or is that just one part of your job? Fixing things is real important.

And of course I did your challenge! To my left, I actually set down my coin purse which I got a long time ago from a friend. I guess I could look up the history of coin purses? Do you think that might be interesting?

I'm not sure it will be as interesting as the history of THIS specific coin purse, which actually came my way from Guatemala! My friend visited there on a spring break and found the purse for me from this artist's market. The textile work is so beautiful. I got a real thing for textiles, let me tell you. So it was a great gift.

This was fun-- I know I didn't fully do the challenge, but you should do it too and tell me what you learn or what you think about!

~delightful