Penpallery?

[ocelotteranian]

Hey dear forumites,

Do you enjoy using words to communicate? Do you enjoy getting mail? Do you enjoy talking to people who are far away? How about using the pulped remains of dead trees to further your interpersonal relationships? Do you see where this is going?

That's right: PEN PALS. Like, on paper, with mail, and so on.

I really like talking to people online (and am extremely happy to be back to the LRR forums after a lengthy education-related absence), but I also really like getting letters in the mail. So I thought perhaps we could combine the two? Who else is interested in trading addresses with someone on these forums (via PM of course) and sending each other letters?

Also, if y'all aren't into the idea of constantly having to keep up with one train of correspondence, maybe instead we could set up a system where once a month or so you send a letter to a randomly assigned LRRite?

---------POSSIBLE PENPAL LIST-------------

The people below have expressed interest in being someone's pen pal. If I've included you in error, please just let me know by either a post on this thread or via pm. If you're NOT on the list but would like to be, please just say so in the thread below!

ocelotteranian
King Kool
Dutch guy
MinniChi
Deedles
Bebop Man
Psyclone
Keab42
Hepheastus
Mums

[King Kool]

Do people still do that?

I remember reading about it in an old Peanuts comic collection, and I wondered how you got a pen pal. I thought they were assigned by teachers or something. This (me wondering about it) was before the widespread Internet, before chatrooms and before texting.

This could be interesting, and I am an enthusiastic writer, but I have no idea what I would write about.

[Deedles]

I remember having a pen pal for a bit, found her in a kid's magazine I used to read when I myself was a kid. We sent a few letters back and forth, and then it kinda ended. Mostly because I realized I'm shite at writing letters that even resemble interesting.

[Dutch guy]

I'd be sort of interested, but it would have to be with someone who understands I'm not a star when it comes to writing interesting letters or social interaction.

[MinniChi]

I would be very interested in penpallery. Though I'm kinda bad at starting letters.

[Avistew]

Looks like so far a bunch of people are interested but self-proclaimed to be terrible at it. Looks promising

[Deedles]

I'm just better at conversations that are on going, but in letters you're usually monologing, to some extent at least, even if you're replying to something someone said. At least that's what I found.

[Bebop Man]

I've had a bunch of pen pals throughout the years, I love writing and receiving letters. Since e-mail, writing letters hasn't been about sharing news & information any more, so I consider it more of a special gesture where you concede your time and your intimate thoughts to another person. Usually I describe where I am and what's happening and take it from there in a stream of conciousness kind of way.

I was just going through my pen pal letters the other day (I keep them all obviously), I kinda miss writing them. If anybody wants a nice letter from Argentina just PM me, I'd love to start over.

[Psyclone]

I'd definitely be down for it! Anyone who got me would have to expect lots of stickers though.

[Keab42]

I've been contemplating something such as this for a while. Sign me up.

[ocelotteranian]

Howdy to everyone! Sorry to have started this thread and then disappeared... my life suddenly got very hectic, and it's now settled down for the foreseeable future.

I'm so excited to see some other people are interested!! Yeah, there's a lot of folks claiming they're bad at this, but how else will you get good without practice?

I'm gonna edit the OP to have a list of interested people. Maybe we can get this show on the road!

[Hepheastus]

What the hell, sign me up

[ocelotteranian]

What the hell, sign me up

Awesome, welcome aboard Hepheastus!

[Mums]

I want in!

Also, I'm in the terrible at that sort of thing crowd, but could be fun anyways!

[ocelotteranian]

I want in!

Also, I'm in the terrible at that sort of thing crowd, but could be fun anyways!

We'll all learn together! Glad to have ya, Mums

[ocelotteranian]

So, we have an even number of interested participants! How do people feel about being randomly matched up and getting this party started?

[MinniChi]

Woot! Party-time!

[Keab42]

Woo!

[ocelotteranian]

Okay! So I'm about to go to bed but tomorrow, around 1 pm PST (GMT -8) I'll match everyone up, and flip a coin to decide who writes first for each pair.

[ocelotteranian]

We have lift off!!

Here are the pen pal pairs, with the first writer highlight in red:
Keab42, Psyclone

MinniChi, Hepheastus

Mums, ocelotteranian

Deedles, Bebop Man

King Kool, Dutch guy

Let the writing begin! Please PM your new pen pal to get their address

[fantôme]

Very much late to the party I see, but very much my cup of tea. If this is still a thing, then I too would like in.

[King Kool]

Um... did this happen?

I hope I wasn't the only one who didn't notice this got updated. Or maybe I totally forgot. I dunno.

Whoopsie?

[MinniChi]

Um... did this happen?

I hope I wasn't the only one who didn't notice this got updated. Or maybe I totally forgot. I dunno.

Whoopsie?

Don't worry, I too just noticed that this had updated.

[Bebop Man]

I wrote Deedles and she never mailed me back

[Keab42]

Oh god, I'm such a terrible person, I never finished the letter to psyclone...