Did the Quill Foundation receive some fan mail? [Background] [Prep] [Cutscene]

Some mail may or may not have come in for people.

Ghost Girl (care of Quill Foundation): Dear madam, We didn't know how to reach you directly, so we are sending this to the Quill Foundation. With luck, their indirect association with you via Mr. Quill shall be enough. My name is Adrienne Berney. I'm the Outreach Coordinator for the Federation of North Carolina Historical Societies. We are an association of societies. Our members have an interest in history, whether local or statewide. Some are dedicated to individual projects such as reconstruction or preservation of specific places, while others are ongoing efforts. Some of our members have expressed interest in formally inducting you into their societies, or asking you to be a spokesperson or representative of some kind. This letter is not intended to sway you to such an action. Instead, I wanted to speak on behalf of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, and also personally, to say thank you for your actions in Halcyon City thus far. Since your advent at the Derby, and following the interrupted interview on Tasha Starr's program, our members report an uptick of interest in the Civil War era. People, especially young people, have been asking more about your native time and place. A few people even contacted us, asking if we could help find out if they were related to you somehow. We respect your privacy and will not be providing such individuals with information that is not already in the public record. It is also not our intent to ask you to participate in FNCHS member activities, although you would certainly be welcome to do so if you wish. The state has a rich history and diverse culture. We don't know how much travel or exposure to other parts of the country you had during your mortal years. Museums and re-enactment societies may offer you a window into a more familiar time, if you wish to avail yourself of these opportunities. Finally, I've enclosed tickets to the North Carolina Symphony, who perform regularly in Raleigh, Chapel Hill, Fayetteville, Wilmington, and of course Halcyon. Should you be interested in attending, either by yourself or with friends, please contact Grant Llewellyn, their music director, to arrange a discreet and enjoyable visit. Thank you again for inspiring our young people to appreciate their past. It means so much to us here, and we would like to do whatever we can to assist you in return. Sincerely, Adrienne Berney

Dear Mercury, Thank you so much for being a superhero. Mom and dad said I could write you. They said you were at the Gale Fun Nation. That is the coolest place to live in. [My son means the Gale Foundation -- Mom] You are really fast. Mom says you are faster than anyone. She says I move around too much She says grownups are slow. Are you faster than your parents? I bet you're so cool because you never got caught when they tried to punish you. Do you have to eat vegetables to go fast? I hate vegetables. I have to eat them, though. Jason Quill got a cartoon. I want there to be a Harry Gale cartoon. Please talk to the man or woman who makes cartoons and tell them to make one. I know they will listen to you because you are cool. Here's a picture of you running around the whole world! That's me in the middle. I am practicing going fast too so we can race some day. You better watch out!! I love you, Jake

Dear Mr Quill, You don't remember, but we met once when you were younger. My name is Hoyt Draper. I was the composer on the Jason Quill show. I know you don't have a very positive opinion of it. I don't expect this letter will change that. But I wanted to tell you some of its history, and why your current actions mean a lot to me and my team. I got my start doing the first ever cartoon in color, Justice Hour, in the 1960s. Jack Fisher invented the synthesizer as we know it to do that music, the Lowrey MX1. It helped us to do justice, pardon the pun, to a very important show. Since then, I've done films and television, commercials and cartoons. Whatever the studio's motive, me and my guys wanted to make the audience feel what we felt. We wanted to inspire other people, the way JH inspired us. When I got called to do AJQ, I knew we needed that spirit more than ever. I got some of the old guys together. I wrote some of that music just to test and push those guys musically, and they gave it their all. We did some cues first, then worked on the full opening theme. We recorded it at the MT at RCA in Hollywood. We were laughing so hard, making jokes and having fun, that we actually lost a couple of otherwise good takes. But we also came up with stuff like the arpeggio swallow, that you hear all the time now on the radio. We didn't get fan letters ourselves, but the studio and I went way back, and their guys always sent stuff my way. One key piece of feedback we got was this: everyone loved Jason Quill. Seeing that kid up on the screen, and his dad and his friends, going and doing amazing stuff, really got the blood pumping. There was a lot of uncertainty in the mid-2000s and for the next decade. People needed something to hang onto, a place to escape to, and the show helped them find that. We actually heard from a couple budding heroes, saying that they were inspired to become adventurers and go fight the good fight. Those letters are still framed and hanging on the walls at RCA Studios. I lost one of the band, Marty Diffle, just recently. Life has its ups and downs. Doing music helps me pick up and keep moving. I'm genuinely sorry about what happened to your dad and everyone else. I don't know if you're part of this new team for the same reason, or for reasons of your own. But I know that I inspired other people, and I think you're inspiring people too. Some people think that commercial jingles and kids' shows are corny and ridiculous. Some people think superheroes are too. To them, and to you, I say: you put your whole heart into something, that's where the thing gets its meaning from. Whatever you're putting your heart into right now, kid, I wish you every blessing and best of luck with it. Hoyt Draper

I wholeheartedly endorse these letters.

Dear "Link" I am the event coordinator for Halcyanicon, the premier anime convention here in Halcyon City. We would like to invite you to be a guest at this winter's 38th annual event. We are meeting this year once again at the Gardner Convention Center downtown, in Halls A-H, and other guests are expected to run the gamut of anime, American animation, and science fiction fandom, including John Rhys-Davies ( Lord of the Rings, Sliders ), Lex Lang ( Captain Harlock, Crash Bandicoot ), Brina Palencia ( One Piece: Wan Pisu ), Crispin Freeman ( Howl's Moving Castle ), Kevin Conroy ( Batman ), Kari Wahlgren ( Kung Fu Panda ), Eric Vale ( One Piece; Wan Pisu ), and Cherami Leigh ( Fairy Tail ). Metahuman guests include Robo Blue Go!, Master of Mecha, and Shana Sakura. We are actually most interested in your vehicle attending, in order to participate in our panel "Mecha -- Feckless Fiction, or Fantastic Fact?" The panel will discuss both the challenges and joys of AI mechanisms in a world with both a Frankenstein syndrome and a longing for the Singularity, in light of both techno-heroes (The Great Machine, Widget) and techno-villains (Rossum, The Superior Machine). You would be on-stage for follow-up questions, but your vehicle would be the focus of the Q&A, along with other guests. This discussion will be held Saturday afternoon in Hall H, our largest venue, between sessions for the movies "Black Panther" and "Wonder Woman 2: The I Ching Saga" [working title]. We expect a very large audience for this segment. If your vehicle is, in fact, not appropriate / operable for this panel, we will also have space in our segment, "Techno-Cosplaying -- Magnificent Mecha and Fabulous Fabrications," which will focus on notorious technology "fakes" and how they met a need in the public for an archetypical uber-computer to save us from our irrational selves. Guests will include Dr. Dick Daystrom (author of The Mechanical Turk: Mecha-fraud in Its Infancy ), Gauleiter Gadget (former member of the St. Louis Seven), and Brigitte Helm (previously known as Robogirl). This panel will be held in Room A27 on Sunday afternoon. We know you are aware of the high degree of interest in you and your robotic associate, especially among our younger audience. Word has it that you have ties to the teen / high school demographic in Halcyon City. In light of that, we hope you will be willing to attend. As you are apparently a local, we do not anticipate the need for a travel or accommodation stipend. We will, however, be happy to reserve you a seat at the Masquerade on Saturday night. This year's MC is Phil Foglio, so we expect an entertaining time. Please contact me at your earliest convenience, at (252) 886-7817, or at <a href="mailto:buddy@halcyanicon.org" rel="nofollow">buddy@halcyanicon.org</a>. I look forward to hearing from you. Your biggest fan, Buddy Pine Halcyanicon: A Consortium 3 Production

*** Dave H. said: If your vehicle is, in fact, not appropriate / operable for this panel, we will also have space in our segment, "Techno-Cosplaying -- Magnificent Mecha and Fabulous Fabrications," which will focus on notorious technology "fakes" and how they met a need in the public for an archetypical uber-computer to save us from our irrational selves. This was already fantastic, but the implied blackmail puts it over the top. :)

I didn't put up anything for Leo & Adam since they are in game Tuesday, but if Mike wants, I have an idea for the sort of letter Concord would get.

Bill G. said: I didn't put up anything for Leo & Adam since they are in game Tuesday, but if Mike wants, I have an idea for the sort of letter Concord would get. :D

I'll take that as a yes.

Bill G. said: This was already fantastic, but the implied blackmail puts it over the top. :) As the tag line implied, it was a communal effort.&nbsp; The other letters received were marvelous, each in their own way, so something reciprocating (and a hook for further play, or cartooning) seemed appropriate.

Dear Mr. Draper: Thank you for your letter. I do remember you. I have to say, for all the mixed memories I have about the AJQ show, I always thought that technically it was really done well, in particular the music. Your revival of classic jazz themes from the 1950's gave the show a sort of retro energy that other cartoons of the period didn't have. (Except maybe the other cartoons produced in those days by the same company, including "The Last Space Ranger," "The Amazos from Amzot," and "Falcon of Ra"). While the show was being produced I always wanted to visit your studio where you were recording the music to hear it, but time never permitted. The one trip we were going to take to Hollywood got canceled due to a giant spider being spotted in the Amazon near some lost temple. (It turned out to be another robot. I would rather have gone seen you guys.) After receiving your letter, I pulled up the tracks on our home sound system and enjoyed the tunes for the first time in a while. Great stuff! I looked up online and see that the music has never had any commercial release all by itself, though there's a lot of it bootlegged on YouTube. While that's not something any of the Quill Foundation parts does, I can definitely talk to Hannah, who covers our licensing things, and see if we have any influence over getting that done. I think that would be cool. Sorry to hear about Mr. Diffle. I always liked the trombone bits he did in the theme song -- they were a big part of what made it sound so cool. Thanks for writing! Yours sincerely, Jason&nbsp; HANDWRITTEN ADDENDUM: Mr. Draper, Hannah Williams will be in touch with you in the near future regarding the above. Rights to the music from the original animated series reverted to the Quill Foundation some time ago, though rights to the series itself remain with the production house. There are some other contractual issues that need to be resolved, such as now-lapsed residual obligations to the musicians, such as yourself, but I will let Ms. Williams apprise you of them. Thank you for your correspondence. Warmly, Barbara Josephs

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Amari, I'm including this letter with the permission slip for all students. Participation in our musical production of "New Frontier" is entirely optional. However, I would very much like to encourage Adam to join us in the production. Some parents have expressed doubts about the subject matter of the production. I want to reiterate the school's policy, for the record. "New Frontier" is a musical about the Haven Station, the successor to Skylab and our current base of operations for scientific missions in space. The musical is the story of the astronauts, cosmonauts, taikonauts, and spationauts who made Haven what it is today. Much of the plot recounts the friendly contacts we have had with alien species. It is also the first musical, to our knowledge, to include actual extraterrestrial compositions, which will be reproduced electronically and accompanied by student singers. "New Frontier" does not concern itself with politics, and as a public school we do not take any political position on topics such as immigration. We also understand that some parents are uncomfortable with the topic of extraterrestrials and we respect their preferences. Creators David Bryan and Joe DiPietro emphasize that while the Haven of "New Frontier" is populated primarily by Americans, America's story is the story of immigrants, whether they arrived here 4, 400, or 40,000 years ago. Likewise, the story of Haven is one of people who have left their home world to live in a new, sometimes hostile environment, in the name of progress and peace. We at Halcyon High believe that young people like Adam would be well served by exposure to this history. I personally also believe that our production would be well served by Adam's own life experience and perspective. He has the courage to take advanced classes for his age, and has excelled academically in an environment where he has few peers. He has, in one sense, left the comfort of home to venture into a strange land. Every generation entrusts the future to the next. Adam's generation will grow to adulthood, and shape the interactions between human and non-human people. They will be the occupants of Haven. They will explore the stars. They will be diplomats, ambassadors, scientists, but also our artisans, singers, and storytellers. Our scientific acumen is considerable, but we must have equal wisdom to know how to wield it. Our cultural heritage, such as the theater, helps us remember the mistakes of the past and hopes for the future. The administration and teachers at Halcyon High believe that "New Frontier" was written in this spirit. We hope that our students, and their families, will be as excited to participate in this activity as we are to facilitate it. Sincerely, Ann Ciecko

Inspired by this:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6oTziHKM_c" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6oTziHKM_c</a>

A great piece of writing there, Bill.&nbsp; And while I imagine the name of the play is an allusion to the JFK speech, with the superhero genre being involved I couldn't help but think of&nbsp; this (probably since it is a personal favorite).

Mike said: A great piece of writing there, Bill.&nbsp; And while I imagine the name of the play is an allusion to the JFK speech, with the superhero genre being involved I couldn't help but think of&nbsp; this (probably since it is a personal favorite). Yes on both counts.

Bill G. said: Inspired by this:&nbsp; <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6oTziHKM_c" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6oTziHKM_c</a> I feel like I may have just seen the best parts of Valerian.

I liked the rest of the movie too, but yes, that scene was brilliant. It felt like the New Frontier speech's logical conclusion: here we are, in this tiny metal box floating in space, but if you come here, we'll welcome you with a handshake and a smile, no matter who you are. Because if you're here, you're one of us already.

Doyce T. said: I feel like I may have just seen the best parts of Valerian. Nah, that's just a natural reaction to seeing anything backed by David Bowie. :P Honestly, I haven't seen the movie but I still want to despite the supremely bad reviews.&nbsp; The Fifth Element bombed its opening weekend but today it's a cult classic, and I suspect this will probably follow suit.

Mike said: A great piece of writing there, Bill.&nbsp; And while I imagine the name of the play is an allusion to the JFK speech, with the superhero genre being involved I couldn't help but think of&nbsp; this (probably since it is a personal favorite). Agreed both on Bill's writing and on Darryl Cook's Justice League: New Frontier, &nbsp;both the animated version and the original graphic novel.

If Doyce (and any other interested parties) doesn't actually do Halcyanicon either in session or on forums, I might use it as an opportunity (via panel Q&A) to flesh out more of the robot tech Leo uses. I'd actually like to see what NPCs we could meet there, but we also have a pretty busy schedule as it is. :) Writing the letters made me realize I probably know the least about Adam's interior life out of all the other PCs. So this was a good exercise. Thank you all for inspiring me to put in this effort.

I totally want to use Halcyonicon, but I'll keep the explosions out of Hall H, so you can explore the Q&A. :)