Follow TV Tropes

Following

History Main / DeliveryNotDesired

Go To

OR

Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

* UsefulNotes/FranzKafka wrote a letter to his father, which ended up being so long that it spanned 103 handwritten pages... only to never actually have it given to him.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* ''[[Literature/ErastFandorin The Diamond Chariot]]'': In the end of part 1, the captured spy writes a letter to his long-lost-but-recently-found father, then burns it and commits suicide.

to:

* ''[[Literature/ErastFandorin The Diamond Chariot]]'': ''Literature/TheDiamondChariot'': In the end of part 1, the captured spy writes a letter to his long-lost-but-recently-found father, then burns it and commits suicide.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* ''HarvestMoonAWonderfulLife'': The framing device is the player's mentor figure/farm hand writing a letter to the player's deceased father about the farm's progress, the player's growing family, and how much has changed over time.

to:

* ''HarvestMoonAWonderfulLife'': ''VideoGame/HarvestMoonAWonderfulLife'': The framing device is the player's mentor figure/farm hand writing a letter to the player's deceased father about the farm's progress, the player's growing family, and how much has changed over time.

Added: 488

Changed: 10

Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


[[AC: VideoGame]]

to:

[[AC: VideoGame]]TabletopGames]]
* ''TabletopGame/PrometheanTheCreated'''s second edition manual features a letter written to a certain "Ysolde", thanking her for [[ArtificialHuman granting life to the one who wrote the letter]]. Despite the grateful tone of it, the letter repeatedly states that they will never meet again, and considering the average Promethean's [[WalkingTheEarth way of life]], it's likely she will never receive the letter, and that it was meant mostly as catharsis for its author.

[[AC: VideoGames]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

[[AC:{{Film}}]]
* In ''Film/ForrestGump'', Forrest Jr. writes a letter to Jenny after she dies. Forrest leaves it at her grave.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'': Parodies this in one episode. A family therapist tells the whole family to write angry letters addressed to the other family members, but not send them. Naturally, Peter missed that last part of the instructions.
* The creator of ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'' proposed a SpinOff called ''The Patakis,'' which would have centered on a teenage Helga after Arnold, her boyfriend of several years, moved away. Had it been made, WordOfGod says that each episode would have featured her writing him a letter and then saving it in a binder rather than mailing it.

to:

* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'': Parodies ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' parodies this in one episode. A family therapist tells the whole family Griffins to write angry letters addressed to the other family members, but not send them. Naturally, Peter missed that last part of the instructions.
* The creator of ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'' proposed a SpinOff called ''The Patakis,'' which would have centered on a teenage Helga after Arnold, her boyfriend of several years, moved away. Had it been made, WordOfGod says that each episode would have featured her writing him a letter and then saving it in a binder rather than mailing it.
it.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheLooneyTunesShow'': In "You've Got Hate Mail", Tina teaches Daffy to type up e-mails and not send them as a stress exercise. Unfortunately, Daffy accidentally sends insulting e-mails to practically everyone he knows.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* The creator of ''HeyArnold'' proposed a SpinOff called ''The Patakis,'' which would have centered on a teenage Helga after Arnold, her boyfriend of several years, moved away. Had it been made, WordOfGod says that each episode would have featured her writing him a letter and then saving it in a binder rather than mailing it.

to:

* The creator of ''HeyArnold'' ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'' proposed a SpinOff called ''The Patakis,'' which would have centered on a teenage Helga after Arnold, her boyfriend of several years, moved away. Had it been made, WordOfGod says that each episode would have featured her writing him a letter and then saving it in a binder rather than mailing it.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None



to:

* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11022932/10/Teaching-the-Professor-to-love-again Teaching the Professor to Love Again]]'' after Harry discovers that he's actually Snape's son he writes a letter to James Potter about his feelings on the matter.



* ''Series/{{MASH}}'': In the episode "Dear Sigmund", Sidney Freedman feels down in the dumps after a psychiatrict patient of his commits suicide because of voices in his head. Wanting a "vacation", Sidney retreats to the 4077th for a couple of weeks; while there, he writes a letter about the people and the hijinx of the 4077th to none other than Sigmund Freud. B.J. even remarks,

to:

* ''Series/{{MASH}}'': In the episode "Dear Sigmund", Sidney Freedman feels down in the dumps after a psychiatrict psychiatrist patient of his commits suicide because of voices in his head. Wanting a "vacation", Sidney retreats to the 4077th for a couple of weeks; while there, he writes a letter about the people and the hijinx of the 4077th to none other than Sigmund Freud. B.J. even remarks,



* UsefulNotes/RichardFeynman, noted physicist (How noted? He has a page here), wrote a [[http://www.lettersofnote.com/2012/02/i-love-my-wife-my-wife-is-dead.html love letter]] to his wife 16 months after she died. It remained sealed until after his death, making it perhaps a rare real-life case of both this and DeadManWriting.

to:

* UsefulNotes/RichardFeynman, noted physicist (How noted? He has a page here), wrote a [[http://www.lettersofnote.com/2012/02/i-love-my-wife-my-wife-is-dead.html love letter]] to his wife 16 months after she died. It remained sealed until after his death, making it perhaps a rare real-life case of both this and DeadManWriting.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* ''[[Series/{{MASH}} M*A*S*H]]'': In the episode "Dear Sigmund", Sidney Freedman feels down in the dumps after a psychiatrict patient of his commits suicide because of voices in his head. Wanting a "vacation", Sidney retreats to the 4077th for a couple of weeks; while there, he writes a letter about the people and the hijinx of the 4077th to none other than Sigmund Freud. B.J. even remarks,
-->'''B.J.''': Sidney... you're a phychiatrist, don't you think writing a letter to Sigmund Freud is a little crazy?

to:

* ''[[Series/{{MASH}} M*A*S*H]]'': ''Series/{{MASH}}'': In the episode "Dear Sigmund", Sidney Freedman feels down in the dumps after a psychiatrict patient of his commits suicide because of voices in his head. Wanting a "vacation", Sidney retreats to the 4077th for a couple of weeks; while there, he writes a letter about the people and the hijinx of the 4077th to none other than Sigmund Freud. B.J. even remarks,
-->'''B.J.''': Sidney... you're a phychiatrist, psychiatrist, don't you think writing a letter to Sigmund Freud is a little crazy?



* {{Smallville}}: In one episode, Chloe writes a letter to Clark telling him how much she loves him, never planning to send it. Several seasons later, after Chloe has hooked up with Jimmy Olsen, Clark happens to find the letter.

to:

* {{Smallville}}: ''Series/{{Smallville}}'': In one episode, Chloe writes a letter to Clark telling him how much she loves him, never planning to send it. Several seasons later, after Chloe has hooked up with Jimmy Olsen, Clark happens to find the letter.



* ''Big Lie, Small World'' by [[Music/ThePolice Sting]] is about a man who accidentally posts such a letter, then goes to increasingly insane lengths (to the point of holding the postman at gunpoint) to intercept it.

to:

* ''Big "Big Lie, Small World'' World" by [[Music/ThePolice Sting]] is about a man who accidentally posts such a letter, then goes to increasingly insane lengths (to the point of holding the postman at gunpoint) to intercept it.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* ''GetFuzzy'': Satchel writes a letter to Ray Charles, thanking him for this music, because listening to it makes him happy. Rob then takes Satchel to the edge of a cliff overlooking water for him to mail it by folding it into a paper plane and sending it into the air.

to:

* ''GetFuzzy'': ''ComicStrip/GetFuzzy'': Satchel writes a letter to Ray Charles, thanking him for this music, because listening to it makes him happy. Rob then takes Satchel to the edge of a cliff overlooking water for him to mail it by folding it into a paper plane and sending it into the air.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* The {{Vocaloid}} song ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdSUMFi5FYE A Clingy Boy Sticking for 15 Years]]'' has an ending that reveals that the girl the singer has been writing letters to for 15 years had been DeadAllAlong. Quite a MoodWhiplash compared to the goofy lyrics of the rest of the song...


to:

* The {{Vocaloid}} Music/{{Vocaloid}} song ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdSUMFi5FYE A Clingy Boy Sticking for 15 Years]]'' has an ending that reveals that the girl the singer has been writing letters to for 15 years had been DeadAllAlong. Quite a MoodWhiplash compared to the goofy lyrics of the rest of the song...

Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* RichardFeynman, noted physicist (How noted? He has a page here), wrote a [[http://www.lettersofnote.com/2012/02/i-love-my-wife-my-wife-is-dead.html love letter]] to his wife 16 months after she died. It remained sealed until after his death, making it perhaps a rare real-life case of both this and DeadManWriting.

to:

* RichardFeynman, UsefulNotes/RichardFeynman, noted physicist (How noted? He has a page here), wrote a [[http://www.lettersofnote.com/2012/02/i-love-my-wife-my-wife-is-dead.html love letter]] to his wife 16 months after she died. It remained sealed until after his death, making it perhaps a rare real-life case of both this and DeadManWriting.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* ''{{Gen 13}}'': At least one story (written by Adam Warren) had Caitlin Fairchild 'narrate' the events of the issue after the fact through writing an e-mail to her recently-deceased father. The final panel of the story is her hitting the 'Delete' button once she's done.

to:

* ''{{Gen ''ComicBook/{{Gen 13}}'': At least one story (written by Adam Warren) had Caitlin Fairchild 'narrate' the events of the issue after the fact through writing an e-mail to her recently-deceased father. The final panel of the story is her hitting the 'Delete' button once she's done.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* ''Literature/DearMrHenshaw'' by BeverlyCleary: He's not dead, but the second half is a diary rather than letters to Mr. Henshaw. Leigh keeps beginning the entries "Dear Mr. Pretend Henshaw" because he's used to it and it makes it easier for him to write.

to:

* ''Literature/DearMrHenshaw'' by BeverlyCleary: Creator/BeverlyCleary: He's not dead, but the second half is a diary rather than letters to Mr. Henshaw. Leigh keeps beginning the entries "Dear Mr. Pretend Henshaw" because he's used to it and it makes it easier for him to write.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


[[AC:AnimeAndManga]]

to:

[[AC:AnimeAndManga]][[AC:Anime & Manga]]



* ''KurauPhantomMemory'': After Kurau receives her powers in the lab accident, her father's Mad Scientist boss keeps subjecting her to tests For Science, without regard for her safety or comfort until her father has her smuggled out of the facility to be raised by foster parents. Despite his command that she must cut off all contact with him, she is shown writing letters to him as she grows up. The last scene of this montage shows her releasing her latest letter to fly away in the wind out to sea...

to:

* ''KurauPhantomMemory'': ''Anime/KurauPhantomMemory'': After Kurau receives her powers in the lab accident, her father's Mad Scientist boss keeps subjecting her to tests For Science, without regard for her safety or comfort until her father has her smuggled out of the facility to be raised by foster parents. Despite his command that she must cut off all contact with him, she is shown writing letters to him as she grows up. The last scene of this montage shows her releasing her latest letter to fly away in the wind out to sea...
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* ''DearMrHenshaw'' by BeverlyCleary: He's not dead, but the second half is a diary rather than letters to Mr. Henshaw. Leigh keeps beginning the entries "Dear Mr. Pretend Henshaw" because he's used to it and it makes it easier for him to write.

to:

* ''DearMrHenshaw'' ''Literature/DearMrHenshaw'' by BeverlyCleary: He's not dead, but the second half is a diary rather than letters to Mr. Henshaw. Leigh keeps beginning the entries "Dear Mr. Pretend Henshaw" because he's used to it and it makes it easier for him to write.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* ''DearMrHenshaw'' by BeverlyCleary: He's not dead, but the second half is actually a diary rather than letters to Mr Henshaw. Leigh keeps beginning the entries "Dear Mr (Pretend) Henshaw" because he's used to it.

to:

* ''DearMrHenshaw'' by BeverlyCleary: He's not dead, but the second half is actually a diary rather than letters to Mr Mr. Henshaw. Leigh keeps beginning the entries "Dear Mr (Pretend) Mr. Pretend Henshaw" because he's used to it.it and it makes it easier for him to write.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* ''InfernalDevices'': In ''Clockwork Angel'', while Tessa is imprisoned by the Dark Sisters, she writes letters to Nate for comfort, knowing she most likely would not be able to send them.

to:

* ''InfernalDevices'': In ''Clockwork Angel'', ''[[Literature/TheInfernalDevices The Clockwork Angel]]'', while Tessa is imprisoned by the Dark Sisters, she writes letters to Nate for comfort, knowing she most likely would not be able to send them.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
added example



to:

* ''Series/TheSuiteLifeOfZackAndCody:'' Maddie writes an insulting email to Mr. Moseby to vent her frustrations about his treatment of her. London sends it, and the group tries to break into Mr. Moseby's office to delete it before he reads it. [[spoiler:They delete the email, but Mr. Moseby has already read it on his smartphone.]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* AbrahamLincoln once advised a friend to write a vitriolic letter to an enemy, and then not send it, to get the anger out without making things worse.

to:

* AbrahamLincoln UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln once advised a friend to write a vitriolic letter to an enemy, and then not send it, to get the anger out without making things worse.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'': Parodies this in one episode. A family therapist tells the whole family to write angry letters addressed to the other family members. Peter gives each of them the letters he wrote, and it turns out he was only supposed to write to vent anger. He wasn't supposed to give them the letters.

to:

* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'': Parodies this in one episode. A family therapist tells the whole family to write angry letters addressed to the other family members. members, but not send them. Naturally, Peter gives missed that last part of the instructions.
* The creator of ''HeyArnold'' proposed a SpinOff called ''The Patakis,'' which would have centered on a teenage Helga after Arnold, her boyfriend of several years, moved away. Had it been made, WordOfGod says that
each of them the letters he wrote, episode would have featured her writing him a letter and then saving it turns out he was only supposed to write to vent anger. He wasn't supposed to give them the letters.
in a binder rather than mailing it.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* ''{{Gen 13}}'': At least one story (written by Adam Warren) had protagonist and resident AmazonianBeauty GeniusBruiser Caitlin Fairchild 'narrate' the events of the issue after the fact through writing an e-mail to her recently-deceased father. The final panel of the story is her hitting the 'Delete' button once she's done.

to:

* ''{{Gen 13}}'': At least one story (written by Adam Warren) had protagonist and resident AmazonianBeauty GeniusBruiser Caitlin Fairchild 'narrate' the events of the issue after the fact through writing an e-mail to her recently-deceased father. The final panel of the story is her hitting the 'Delete' button once she's done.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


[[AC: ComicBooks]]
* ''[[SpiderMan Spider-Man]]'': ComicBook/{{Spider-Man Blue}} has a tape recorder variant. Peter records a message to the deceased Gwen Stacy, reflecting on his time with her and explaining she's the reason he's always a bit blue around Valentine's Day. When his wife Mary Jane hears him, rather than be upset that he's talking to his lost love, she understands and asks him to say hello for her.

to:

[[AC: ComicBooks]]
Comic Books]]
* ''[[SpiderMan Spider-Man]]'': ComicBook/{{Spider-Man Blue}} ''ComicBook/SpiderManBlue'' has a tape recorder variant. Peter records a message to the deceased Gwen Stacy, reflecting on his time with her and explaining she's the reason he's always a bit blue around Valentine's Day. When his wife Mary Jane hears him, rather than be upset that he's talking to his lost love, she understands and asks him to say hello for her.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* ''[[SpiderMan Spider-Man]]'': Spider-Man Blue has a tape recorder variant. Peter records a message to the deceased Gwen Stacy, reflecting on his time with her and explaining she's the reason he's always a bit blue around Valentine's Day. When his wife Mary Jane hears him, rather than be upset that he's talking to his lost love, she understands and asks him to say hello for her.

to:

* ''[[SpiderMan Spider-Man]]'': Spider-Man Blue ComicBook/{{Spider-Man Blue}} has a tape recorder variant. Peter records a message to the deceased Gwen Stacy, reflecting on his time with her and explaining she's the reason he's always a bit blue around Valentine's Day. When his wife Mary Jane hears him, rather than be upset that he's talking to his lost love, she understands and asks him to say hello for her.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* ''[[YuGiOh Yu-Gi-Oh!]]'': Bakura is seen writing a letter to his late sister.

to:

* ''[[YuGiOh Yu-Gi-Oh!]]'': ''Anime/YuGiOh'': Bakura is seen writing a letter to his late sister.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None



to:

* When Trixie goes to WanderTheEarth near the end of ''OfMaresAndMagic'', she writes many letters about her adventures, the majority of which cannot be delivered because she's too far away from Equestria. They also reveal her private feelings for Twilight Sparkle, which she wants to keep secret.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* ''[[YuGiOh Yu-Gi-Oh!]]'': Bakura is seen writing a letter to her late sister

to:

* ''[[YuGiOh Yu-Gi-Oh!]]'': Bakura is seen writing a letter to her his late sistersister.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* ''[[SpiderMan Spider-Man]]'': Spider-Man Blue has a tape recorder varient. Peter records a message to the deceased Gwen Stacy, reflecting on his time with her and explaining she's the reason he's always a bit blue around Valentine's Day. When his wife Mary Jane hears him, rather than be upset that he's talking to his lost love, she understands and asks him to say hello for her.

to:

* ''[[SpiderMan Spider-Man]]'': Spider-Man Blue has a tape recorder varient.variant. Peter records a message to the deceased Gwen Stacy, reflecting on his time with her and explaining she's the reason he's always a bit blue around Valentine's Day. When his wife Mary Jane hears him, rather than be upset that he's talking to his lost love, she understands and asks him to say hello for her.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Initial creation

Added DiffLines:

A character writes a letter, every word chosen with care, full of enough heart to make a strong man weep... And drops it into a drawer, never to be seen again.

This is a message (a letter, a recording, an e-mail) to someone the sender knows will never receive it. This is often a hand-written letter, for a more personal note and since speed obviously isn't of the essence.

This can be used to present a first-person narrative in an interesting way, making it very often a sub-trope of SurrogateSoliloquy. For Bonus Poignancy Points, the would-be recipient is often dead, in which case this is a sub-trope of TalkingToTheDead. In-universe, it can be used to collect one's thoughts by using an imaginary sounding board, a way to cheat NeverGotToSayGoodbye (take that, Death!), or it can be used if you really, really need to say something, and there's no one (alive) to say it to.

It is certainly not unknown to happen in real life, of course. And, being a well-established trope, it is definitely capable of being subverted.

If this is a message that was never intended to be sent, but is sent anyway, and there is a (presumably non-dead) recipient for it, this becomes an IrrevocableMessage.

On TV or in a movie, expect a VoiceoverLetter.

Not the case of the sender expecting to be dead by the time the message is received (which is nearer DeadManWriting). Also not the case in which a message is written to be sent, but ends up not sent for one reason or another.
----

!Examples

[[AC:AnimeAndManga]]
* ''[[YuGiOh Yu-Gi-Oh!]]'': Bakura is seen writing a letter to her late sister
* ''KurauPhantomMemory'': After Kurau receives her powers in the lab accident, her father's Mad Scientist boss keeps subjecting her to tests For Science, without regard for her safety or comfort until her father has her smuggled out of the facility to be raised by foster parents. Despite his command that she must cut off all contact with him, she is shown writing letters to him as she grows up. The last scene of this montage shows her releasing her latest letter to fly away in the wind out to sea...
* ''Manga/FairyTail'': One chapter reveals that [[TheChick Lucy]] has been writing letters to her deceased mother about her adventures with the TrueCompanions. She stored them in a small drawer in her house.

[[AC: ComicBooks]]
* ''[[SpiderMan Spider-Man]]'': Spider-Man Blue has a tape recorder varient. Peter records a message to the deceased Gwen Stacy, reflecting on his time with her and explaining she's the reason he's always a bit blue around Valentine's Day. When his wife Mary Jane hears him, rather than be upset that he's talking to his lost love, she understands and asks him to say hello for her.
* ''{{Gen 13}}'': At least one story (written by Adam Warren) had protagonist and resident AmazonianBeauty GeniusBruiser Caitlin Fairchild 'narrate' the events of the issue after the fact through writing an e-mail to her recently-deceased father. The final panel of the story is her hitting the 'Delete' button once she's done.

[[AC:FanFiction]]
* The Franchise/GIJoe fanfic ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/9515153/1/A-Ninja-Commando-s-Christmas-Letter A Ninja Commando's Christmas Letter]]'' is Snake Eyes being coerced into writing his dead family as therapy.
* The ''[[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic]]'' fanfic ''[[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/97122/twilights-final Twilight's Final]]'' ends with a friendship report, much like many of the episodes do. [[spoiler: It's left on Celestia's grave.]]

[[AC:{{Literature}}]]
* ''InfernalDevices'': In ''Clockwork Angel'', while Tessa is imprisoned by the Dark Sisters, she writes letters to Nate for comfort, knowing she most likely would not be able to send them.
* ''Like a Bone in the Throat'' by Lawrence Block: A condemned murderer writes a letter to his victim's brother gloating about how much he enjoyed the crime in excruciating detail--then keeps it aside as he mails a much more repentant letter as part of a scheme to reduce his sentence. [[spoiler: It works, because the brother wants him released to kill him personally, but that's not quite the end of the story.]]
* ''DearMrHenshaw'' by BeverlyCleary: He's not dead, but the second half is actually a diary rather than letters to Mr Henshaw. Leigh keeps beginning the entries "Dear Mr (Pretend) Henshaw" because he's used to it.
* ''[[Literature/ErastFandorin The Diamond Chariot]]'': In the end of part 1, the captured spy writes a letter to his long-lost-but-recently-found father, then burns it and commits suicide.

[[AC:LiveActionTV]]
* ''Series/MagnumPI'': The title character writes a letter to the daughter he thinks is dead, in a plot about why he [[spoiler:doesn't kill her murderer]].
* ''[[Series/{{MASH}} M*A*S*H]]'': In the episode "Dear Sigmund", Sidney Freedman feels down in the dumps after a psychiatrict patient of his commits suicide because of voices in his head. Wanting a "vacation", Sidney retreats to the 4077th for a couple of weeks; while there, he writes a letter about the people and the hijinx of the 4077th to none other than Sigmund Freud. B.J. even remarks,
-->'''B.J.''': Sidney... you're a phychiatrist, don't you think writing a letter to Sigmund Freud is a little crazy?
-->'''Sidney''': Who better than he would understand?
* {{Smallville}}: In one episode, Chloe writes a letter to Clark telling him how much she loves him, never planning to send it. Several seasons later, after Chloe has hooked up with Jimmy Olsen, Clark happens to find the letter.

[[AC: {{Music}}]]
* ''Big Lie, Small World'' by [[Music/ThePolice Sting]] is about a man who accidentally posts such a letter, then goes to increasingly insane lengths (to the point of holding the postman at gunpoint) to intercept it.
* The {{Vocaloid}} song ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdSUMFi5FYE A Clingy Boy Sticking for 15 Years]]'' has an ending that reveals that the girl the singer has been writing letters to for 15 years had been DeadAllAlong. Quite a MoodWhiplash compared to the goofy lyrics of the rest of the song...


[[AC: NewspaperComics]]
* ''GetFuzzy'': Satchel writes a letter to Ray Charles, thanking him for this music, because listening to it makes him happy. Rob then takes Satchel to the edge of a cliff overlooking water for him to mail it by folding it into a paper plane and sending it into the air.

[[AC: VideoGame]]
* ''HarvestMoonAWonderfulLife'': The framing device is the player's mentor figure/farm hand writing a letter to the player's deceased father about the farm's progress, the player's growing family, and how much has changed over time.

[[AC: {{Western Animation}}]]
*''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'': Parodies this in one episode. A family therapist tells the whole family to write angry letters addressed to the other family members. Peter gives each of them the letters he wrote, and it turns out he was only supposed to write to vent anger. He wasn't supposed to give them the letters.

[[AC: RealLife]]
* AbrahamLincoln once advised a friend to write a vitriolic letter to an enemy, and then not send it, to get the anger out without making things worse.
* RichardFeynman, noted physicist (How noted? He has a page here), wrote a [[http://www.lettersofnote.com/2012/02/i-love-my-wife-my-wife-is-dead.html love letter]] to his wife 16 months after she died. It remained sealed until after his death, making it perhaps a rare real-life case of both this and DeadManWriting.

Top