2024 Community Time Capsule: Dear Future Me

[Chris]

As part of our Twenty Years on The Bell Tree celebration, we are composing a Community Time Capsule. Please see the 2024 Community Time Capsule: Blueprints thread for more information.

Task

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In this event, you are tasked with writing a letter to your future self, similar to the ones we recently revealed from the 2019 Time Capsule. These letters will be hidden away and re-emerge in 2029. What would you like to say to your future self? Who do you want that person to be? What do you hope to achieve in the next five years, whether it be on TBT or in your personal life? Keep in mind these letters will be made public again in the future, so take care with how much personal information you choose to include.

Deadline: 11:59PM EST November 15th 2024.


Rules

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• Please adhere to the The Bell Tree Rules and Guidelines and keep your content PG-13.
• Be sure not to include any personal information that you may not want public five years from now!

Prize

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Participation: 30 TBT Bells

 

[Alolan_Apples]

Dear Future Me,

How is the Bell Tree Forums? Is it better than it was now, or was the past better? I would like to see the new collectibles released. Another question? What was the new Animal Crossing game like? Has Nintendo listened to us and improved the next game? Are there any new disappointments like how ACNH had that ACNL lacked? Last question. Have you already opened your restaurant? I always dreamed of running a restaurant, but I never got to start it. If you did, what type of restaurant is it?

Yours truly, Alolan_Apples

 

[skarmoury]

hello future me!!

so did we pass the board exam?? where are you a resident in right now and what specialty?? did you get married already.....? and do you still like ena shinonome. if yes how many nuis and merch do we have of her right now. giving us adult money was a mistake

right now i am resting before starting another review season! family members and me got sick but recently we've all been getting better. friends will be over tomorrow, how exciting! and ena's WL starts in 5 days so those are some things to look forward to.

i hope you are doing well. <3 take care always and remember that life is not a race! you've only got yourself at the end of the day so i hope you forgive yourself for shortcomings. rest well! find your passion! balance life and work! go play splatoon or l4d2 if you're feeling stressed! or buy new ena merch, that always made me happy.

ily always, skar of the past <3

 

[Mimi Cheems]

Dear 2029 Mimi...

I hope you're happy, wherever you are! You've grown so much since the last time capsule, I'd love to see what you're up to 5 years from now!
How is your mom? Is she well? How is your brother in the Navy? Did he renew his contract or has he decided to come back home? ;w;
I hope my current boyfriend becomes your husband in the future. 'Cuz GIRL, we do not want another heartbreak!!! I hope when you read this, if you're not talking to him by then.. that you reach out to him regardless. I'm sure he'd love to hear from you. I hope in 5 years you realize how much he really does love you. I know I have a hard time believing it now, but I hope in 5 years you believe it wholeheartedly.
I want you to know that despite struggling with BPD, you are a wonderful human being. And there will always be people who love you. You radiate an energy that people truly cherish. Never dim that bright light inside of you, girl!
How are your friends? How is the rest of your family? How is Panzer? How is Zeus? How are Milo and Blaze?

Have you gone to visit @nyx~ yet? If not, then what the heck are you waiting for you silly goose?! What happened to all the trips you guys wanted to plan?! GO SEE HER NOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!! She's your bestie, go see her
Did you ever start your crochet business, btw? I hope if you do, it's going well! I know I love crocheting now, I just hope I'm super good at it in the future!! I wanna make cute blankies and sweaters for me and my friends ^-^

Anyway, I think that's all I want to say.. hm..
OH! What's your favorite song right now, I wonder? Mine is Young Girls by Bruno Mars :3 And I also love anything by Niall Horan, so. I hope you still feel the same in 5 years :3

Love,
2024 Mimi!

 

[KCourtnee]

Dear Future Me,

You're in your late 30s now, how has life been for you? I hope you and Daniel got married. I really think he's the best man you've ever been with. Yall have a kid yet? I know yall wanted just one kid since you're scared of the affect it'll have on your body. Do you still like Animal Crossing? I don't see why you wouldn't since you've been a huge fan since 2005. How's life going for you? Do you still live in Denton? I'm writing this in our 1 bed townhome apartment with only 2 and a half months left before officially moving in with Daniel and his friend. I hope living with him and his friend Duncan went well. Just 3 nerdy gamers all living together, seems like the perfect setup. Crazy how you've been on this forum for over 20 years now. You were in high school when you first joined. It's so cool when sites like these stay up and active for this long.

So tell me, are you still in the restaurant industry full time or did you finally become a court reporter making that GOOD money? I know you love serving but hate it full time because it's inconsistent money. At the time of writing this, we serve at Cotton Patch Cafe, but I'm sure you found a different job since the money is not good at all. I know you were thinking about going into fine dining, I wonder if you ever went through with it. It seems intimidating but maaaan that money is GOOD.

I hope our parents are still alive. They're both in their 70s hate how your parents also get older as you get older. Is your brother still alive? I know he had his addiction struggles and I'm hoping he didn't bite the dust, but when someone has that lifestyle for so long, it's so hard to stop.

Do you still have the lexus, aka Scarlett? That thing is like 20 years old now lol and probably has over 400,000 miles, and if you still have it, it definitely had to have some work on it. As I write this, she currently has 222k miles on it. I hope you got that second car that you desperately wanted cuz I KNOW you didn't get rid of Scarlett we driven her till she dead.

Are you still even active on this forum? I know you're very inconsistent with being active on here, but would always login every now and then to make sure the account looked somewhat active. It would suck to lose this account, it's been in my life for basically half my life now.

Did you ever meet the goal of playing all the Zelda games. I'm just now becoming obsessed with the series (late to the party like always) and my goal is to play and hopefully beat most of all of them (doubt I could beat 1 and 2 lol those are harrrrrrd).

I hope you still write in your journals, I expect to be able to read about your life in the next 5 years.

ALSO i swear you BETTER have finished the ACOTAR, Throne of Glass AND Crescent City series by now!! We suck as consistently reading but if you ain't finished it in the next 5 years OMG lol

I hope you still like raves and music festivals or else that just proves you got old sad day

You better remember to come back and read this in 2029!!!! <3

Sincerely,
Courtnee (insert Daniel's last name here)

 

[axaniao]

dear future me:

how are things? i know you're in your 20's now. do you have a job? do you have a partner? are you still living with your parents, or have you gotten a place of your own? i hope you're happier now. im sure you've grown a lot stronger, and I'm proud of you for getting this far, even if you thought you wouldn't.

actually, are you still the same system host? or are you someone else reading this? either way, i hope you have been happy, happier than I've been. i wish you luck in all your future endeavors. please, make sure to take breaks, for your own mental health! don't make the same mistakes i did.

if you're still struggling with bpd, i promise everything will be okay. i know it's hard, but you're going to make it. i did, so i know you will too.

whoever you are reading this, i love you. good luck.

sincerely, Subspace

 

[Suguri]

*please ignore!! It accidentally posted while revising*

 

[Croconaw]

To future me…

I hope your legal name has changed… that you are happy with who you are and where you are. I hope you have your own place and that it’s everything you ever wanted.

Is the forum still going strong? Is it still as active as it was back in 2024? You finally have a good job… You are in a great situation to move out. I hope you didn’t blow it. I hope you’re still handing your Bipolar well.

I hope you are happy. Truly, happy.

— Signed “Croconaw” from the past!

 

[Seastar]

Dear future me,

How are things? Are they any better? I hope at the very least you are able to read this. Do you remember how awful things were this year? Well, did it ever get any better? I have a great fear of it only continuing to go downhill and I want to be proven wrong somehow.

I'm going to turn 30 in a month. Do you remember your 30th birthday? I wonder what reading this is going to feel like.

Currently I am stuck in a house that's falling apart with no health insurance and honestly no hope for the future.
...Please don't tell me it's still like that. Please tell me something has changed for the better.

This year Splatoon 3 had the Grand Festival. Do you remember that? I just wanted to include that to see your reaction, lol. I'm listening to music from it right now, but I imagine you're listening to something else because you're in the future.

Are you still talking to your close friends? I sure hope so! Those are probably the best friends you have ever had!

Lastly, something about your life changed drastically in 2021-2022. You should know what I am referring to. Are things still like that? Are things different now? I can only wonder.

Signed, uhhh Seastar

 

[Suguri]

J from the future, if you're reading this...

I am you from the year 2024. I'm 16 years old, and I have reached a point in my life where my mental health isn't at its best and I'm struggling to make ends meet in high school.

I'm curious about a few things:

• What will Pokémon's 10th generation look like, and will it be the very last one? I hope it's better than Gen IX and ScarVio; I love this generation, but I can't say the same for everyone else.
• Did you get the Kieran Pokémon card/New 3DS XL/pet cat/room you don't share with your sister/vacation to Japan/Canada plane ticket of your dreams? FYI: Kieran is my current fictional crush, I haven't had a 3DS in YEARS, I need comfort and privacy, and it's my dream to live in the True North (or whatever it's called) and tour the Pokémon franchise's birth country.
• How are you doing with your hobbies? I'm making progress in my drawing skills and I'm pretty proud of how far I've come!
• Are you and @ZeldaCrossing64 still a couple, or friends at the very least? Life got in the way of our relationship and I miss talking with my partner very much. I hope you two are still keeping in touch by then. If not...you can always try again, right? I really hope they still love you.
• Have you discovered your dream career? Found a part-time job? Perhaps gone to college? NGL, I'm pretty nervous about taking my first steps into adulthood. ;w;
• Overall, do you think you have improved substantially, years from now?

Despite what I mentioned about my mental health earlier, I want to end this letter on a positive note. They say "Things don't look up when you're going down," but remember: your brain's still developing, so there's still time for you to improve. I know change is hard, especially when you're on the spectrum—I've felt this way for years, and still am to this day—but it will happen eventually, and I know you can make it. Don't let adversity get the best of you. Make the choices you want to make and be yourself! Wherever you may roam, I hope your head finds its home.

And most importantly, no matter what happens, you gotta believe.

-Suguri

 

[Midoriya]

Dear future me,

How's the new apartment/house going? Are you a wonderful cat dad with more kitties to take care of in your home? How many more new friends have you made? Hope you've kept up your martial arts and have a black belt in multiple arts by this point. Hoping you finally found someone that appreciates you for you and not what they want you to be. I also hope you've been promoted by this point at your job and are still there, or if not that you're using the expertise at another place in the same field. Your family likely won't be around by this point, so I hope you've surrounded yourself with people who truly care about you.

-From 2024 me.

 

[Dunquixote]

Dear Future Me,

Have you overcome your anxiety of leaving the house yet? Have you made any more friends; any personal friends that you can go to conventions with? How are your cats doing?

I’m hoping that some small improvements have been made and that you’re taking better care of yourself. Remember you have a lot of friends here that care about you and that that you’re not alone, but also make sure you respect their boundaries and needs too.

Other things I want to know: have you won any contests or staff favorite for anything if you’re still participating in events here?

Are you still playing Among Us and other games with fellow TBTers?

Hang in there. Don’t lose hope that things will get better for you.

Signed,
Dunquixote from the past

 

[pottercrossing]

Dear future me,

How's uni going? What are we majoring in? Are we still going for that law degree? Did we follow through with the others on our plan? I really hope we did, they're my best friends and I can't imagine life without them. Speaking of which, are we still in contact with the group? All of them or just some? Did we graduate high school on time? Do we know how to drive?

I hope you've still kept going with your acting dream! Did we land any cool roles? Onstage? On screen? How about our music career, how's that going? We've been singing for a long time, almost eleven years now, and it'll be almost seventeen when you're reading this. Gods, I feel old just writing that.

Now, the big question: Transitioning. How is that going? Did we come out to any family members? Speaking of family, how many are we still in contact with, and how many are still around? How are our parents and grandparents doing? How are our brothers doing? Did Dad and Doris have any more kids? What about our insane number of step-aunts? How are they? Have we gotten to connect with Mom's family at all?

I hope you're doing amazing! If you're stressed (because law school is no joke), that's totally okay! Remember to take some time for yourself! Go play some Animal Crossing, hang out with your friends or partner(s), eat some of those rice crackers you love, reread PJO for the millionth time! (hopefully you're still into that)

I love you, remember that always

Signed, pottercrossing

 

[Millysaurusrexjr]

Dear Future Milly,

You know how much we love time capsule stuff but to be honest I am a little hesitant to write this one in particular because I know how you are

I hope you stopped dreaming so much and actually started doing more. 29 is our lucky number, and it's gonna be 2029 by the time you are reading this, so hopefully you have made it/are making it a good year. At the time of writing this, I am sitting at my desk, listening to Spotify, taking a break from doing some cleaning and organizing. Earlier I set up the lil Christmas tree. Yeah, I know it's a bit early to be setting out Christmas stuff but I have my reasons.

Have we moved somewhere new by now? Maybe gotten a cat? Or at least a betta fish or a plant or something? Did you end up starting a Youtube channel? I have been thinking about it a lot lately, but I am somewhat hesitant. I guess I'm mostly worried about people seeing me, but I suppose I can just not show my face.. Have you opened up a shop yet? Been in any exhibitions? Have you been back to the US yet? I just got back from there a few days ago, that return journey was crazy.

Did you manage to acquire any more Glow Wand collectibles? How many physical TBT arts/crafts have we made by now? Did you ever get around to finishing that island journal of yours?

Ooh, have you baked anything new? Worked on the baking bucket list at all? Maybe filled out more recipe cards for that recipe box that grandma gave us? Is grandma still around? Are mom and dad okay? What about our brother? Fine, I guess the other one too, how is he?

Has our friend who we haven't talked to since like 2018 reached out yet? I'm kinda doubting it but who knows.. Definitely let it go if they haven't messaged by then. How is the husband doing? Tell him 2024 Milly says 'Hi!'

Hmmm, what else is there.. Are you more confident in 2029 than you were in 2024? I recently realized that I want to work on that irl. What's our favorite song in 2029? I have quite a few; lately I really love 'Care' by Jai Piccone, 'Saturn Princess' by Grimes, and 'My Smile Is Extinct' by Kane Strang.

Anyway...

Please don't let me/you/us down,

- Millysaurusrexjr

 

[Snek]

Hello Future Me,

How are you doing? I hope that you finally completed that writing project by now...
Have you started on that garden yet?
Have you started on that rainwater collecting and filtration system yet?
I know that there's a lot to be done but don't get too anxious over it. Remember, its one step at a time and never give up on your goals!
Is the husband happy? Make sure he is. He is special no matter what year it is!
Our furboy too if he is still around. I know dogs don't live as long as humans but he is just as special. Give him the love he deserves

Did you go on that vacation you were planning? Is Japan also more of a possibility? Travelling is getting harder and harder but I know you still love it and I hope you get to explore this wide world in the future.

Is TBT still hot and fresh? Do you finally have your full snake lineup set? If not, keep hoping. Maybe the Year of the Snake gets you one. If not, your Oarfish and Dragon ones are pretty cool.

Are the new Animal Crossing games any good? Are there snake villagers? If not, don't be too sad about it. Many people are afraid of what they don't understand.
Can we finally roleplay as Zipper? This question may not seem very serious but I will say here in 2024 it is quite serious indeed.

Has Pokemon gotten any better or did you finally walk away? Other games have taken more time lately here in 2024 and you were considering dropping the franchise altogether. If you have, don't regret it. You're not missing anything.

Sincerely,
2024 Snek

 

[Beanz]

dear future me,

i feel like i should provide you with a little snippet of life at the moment. just so you’ll remember the past. i’ll tell you about the day before you wrote this:

Spoiler: snippet

it’s a few days before our bother’s birthday. i tried to bake him a cake but it unfortunately failed, i tried to alter the box recipe but the middle never baked so we had to get him a cake from the supermarket.

our grandparents are visiting from out of state, they’re staying with our aunt. in addition to my little baking accident, our family went bowling yesterday. our grandparents came over and our aunt made stuffed shells so that’s what we ate for dinner.

by 10 PM, i was so tired. i was ready to fall asleep but i stayed awake for a few minutes to watch a part of my favorite movie, jason bourne: the bourne identity. i woke up at 2 to the sound of the bourne ultimatum playing in the background and i couldn’t fall asleep again so this is why i’m writing to you at 5 AM.

so how are you? by the time you’re reading this you’ll be 24. i know you recently have graduated college (hopefully) and i hope the degree was worth it. do you like your job? i hope you do, i hope your career is successful.

how different is the bell tree? your account will be 10 years old by the time you read this again, which is wild to think about. is there a new animal crossing?

how is your family? your mom, dad, brother, and grandma? how is jake, your dog? he is 12 as i’m writing this, very old, but i still feel like i should ask.

did you eventually learn how to use blender and 3D model? did you continue learning piano? what about ukulele? have you learned any other instruments? do you remember writing this?

one thing before i leave, i want to share this picture of jake with you:

Spoiler: baby boy ❤️

-you from 2024

 

[Chronos314_XD]

Dear future Chrono (or whatever new username and/or nickname you have now on here if you're even still using this website),

The person writing this letter for you is your 16 year old self from the year 2024, the most recent major event in the United States that has happened was the 2024 election with Dumbass- I mean Donald Trump winning his 2nd term in office for his 2025-2029 presidency, leading many Americans to fear what will happen to them in the future with things like Project 2025 being a major concern. Currently your past self is living with your mom and your 3 cats in the new city we moved to back in 2023, with your dad currently living in an apartment back in your hometown, and your brother is currently pursuing college in a place I can't say for obvious privacy reasons. Right now I'm halfway through my Junior year of high school, the past few weeks I've been trying to get my driver's permit stuff figured out but the school is being incredibly slow with signing the form I had to send them, meaning it's gonna take a bit before I even am able to start driving. I am unemployed with little to no idea with what I want to do in the future. I'm not dating anyone at the moment (and that probably hasn't changed I'm guessing), and I am still trying to figure myself out when it comes to understanding my identity and who or what I am. My current fixations at the moment are Friday Night Funkin' and hyperpop music. I'm currently still trying to get better at drawing and have been able to build the confidence to post my art publicly on here (all of the support from you guys is genuinely amazing and I appreciate it so much), and I think I covered most of what's going on to me as of right now. So now it's question time.

1. How is your brother doing?

2. How are your cats doing?

3. Did you ever figure out what you wanted to do in the future?

4. Do you have a job at the moment? If so, how has it been going?

5. Did you make any friends over the past 5 years?

6. Opinions on college?

7. Whats your current fixation at the moment?

8. Do you still listen to hyperpop music?

9. What games have you been playing recently?

10. What shows have you been watching recently?

11. What people that you used to look up to got canceled?

12. Has that idea for a secret personal project I wanted to work on gone anywhere?

13. Do you still draw? What was your most recent drawing?

14. How do you feel about the world right now?

15. Is there any advice you would want to give me, your past self?

Anyways since most time capsules also have random things put in them that represent the person or current things at that time, I would also like to put some random things down here while I'm at it.

My most recent drawing as of November 10th 2024:

It's Klonoa!

Here's random YouTube video:

Idk either lol

And I think im done for now.

Can't wait to regret and cringe at most of the things i put in here lol.

 

[Mutti]

Dear future mutti,

How has the last decade been, how is ur health doing? How has the decade been as your trying to get stronger and get back on a better path, i hope you was able to!

Hopefully by now the next game of the series is out and im guessing you’ve spent upwards of 500+ hours already as you fall in love just as you did with new leaf and new horizons.

I hope you’ve been kind to yourself, you’ve been through a lot in 2024, and more to come but i now you will handle it with ease

Take care!

 

[Giddy]

To a Future Giddy~

How far can five years change you, I wonder?
How many times have you pushed yourself into a place you finally feel just right? Five years can come and go so quickly, or slow down like limbo. So, I want to let you know, whever ever you are right now, I know you've done so well; even if you're in a bad place future me, you always find a way out of it.

Get your head out of the gutter when it comes to creative writing, and artwork.
Stop pushing yourself away from it, because you know, your pastself knows you can write. Those ideas you can come up with would love to be read by friends, family and the world alike!
Those specific stories, you know the ones I mean, I can't wait to find out you finally written them. And honestly, good on you for getting on with it.
What future stories do you have planned to write this time around, I wonder?
Have you finally read any of the books on our shelf? There's a few I need to read.

I have been debating on starting an artbook, drawing something for 365 days, to get better at drawing; so it makes me wonder, five years from now, how confident and how much I have been drawing, painting?
You better show off something when reading this!
Speaking of which, that horned drawing, have you finished it? Does the horned individual have a name? They need a name!
Ark and Constance! Have you tried drawing them yet? Ark should be easier, back here, you're better at animals.

I have also been really wanting to make video anaysis of different films or tv shows we'd watched as a kid; makes me wonder if five years is enough for me to have started or at least planned scripts for it?
I know you have a constant fear of people causing problems from watching your stuff, but you can't control that. Why should the negative people stop you from expressing things you love, that's why we wanna do it, no? To connect with people and see how our ideas inspire others. Literally push yourself, because then you can't go back I should know, since I am in the past after all. The past feels stressy right now, but keep hold of your loved ones and it will all be fine.

I wonder if five years is enough for you to realise and investigate who you are sexuality and romantically wise.
I know we have been ignoring it due to family, fear but above all because we believe it's not highly important. To us, anyways. We don't need romance to be ourselves. We just need to be us. Find that person, Giddy. And then everything will fall into place.

Have you finally been able to get together stuff for your cosplays? Neo and female Legion from dead by daylight? I know you wanna make Neo's umbrella you creative, chaos demon; but try and get one of them done.

Gawd this is long, have a sticker for reading all that again!
Be a happy Giddy, a productive and kind Giddy. Show off who you are and don't be afraid to put anyone in their place!

 

[daisyflowers]

dear future daisy,

when you next read this, you'll be 25 going on 26. you'll have been on the bell tree forums for a little over 12 years. 20-year old you found these both quite wild to think about.

how are you feeling? i hope that you're doing well and that your family are looking after themselves. we've been talking about it for long while now.. did we end up getting a golden retriever puppy?

at the moment, i'm watching the third series of gavin and stacey to prepare for the final ever episode at christmas. games-wise, i'm going back to my roots by playing minecraft again. my older sister will join in on occasion like they used to as well! talking of games, is there a new animal crossing game out yet? are you playing it?

your self-love is important. be sure to take care of yourself and take each day as it comes. hope you're active enough here still and that you remember to read this.

love you,
2024 daisy