If there’s one good thing I’ve seen recently, it’s how communities have come together.

It’s been shown that communities have come together in so many different ways over the past few months, whether it’s just caring for one another because you’re neighbours, or whether it’s coming together to show solidarity in more serious, more political ways. No matter what instance it’s happened in, I have loved seeing it happen.

I’ve experienced it myself too, as I’ve mentioned in my last post about the many different games I’ve been playing over lockdown. Things are starting to get back to some sort of normalcy now, though (whatever that means, ay?) and I’m scared that communities coming together like they have is going to just… well, stop. Some are unlikely to stop, which is great, but for some others? I’m not convinced.

Japan Sinks 2020

I’ve been thinking about this a lot recently, albeit mostly due to the amount of gaming I’ve done over the past few months. There’s always someone out there wanting to play a game with someone, but there’s no one around, or there’s someone who just wants to chat with someone and everyone else is busy.

Personally, I’ve been neglecting certain areas which I probably shouldn’t have done. I’ve certainly not been the most active on here, or on Twitter, for example, and that’s where a whole different community is mostly based. I completely neglected checking in on the community I have around me here and I feel so bad that I never really even asked if people were OK. I read the ocassional post from time to time, but… there was certainly no communication happening on my end.

Although it’s because I was priortising those who are nearer to me, those who I knew were living alone, those who I knew were struggling to cope – I still feel bad for falling completely radio silent.

All of this is why I’ve decided to create a Discord server.

I know, I know. A lot of people have Discord servers. It’s nothing new. However, I’m hoping that it’s going to bring a bunch of people together. I’m hoping that people are going to come together, talk, meet new friends and just, as the kids say these days, vibe.

Charlotte

I’m introducing – The Café. A place where you can chat about anime, manga, music, whatever you want. A place where you can vent, if needed. A place where you can find other people to play games with. Practice languages. Promote your work. Use cute anime emotes.

I’ll admit, this is an idea that I’ve had since the start of lockdown, and it’s taken some time to make. It’s not perfect, but that’s okay. With time, I hope it will be. Nevertheless, I hope that it can be a community space. I hope that it can be a place where people come together. I really do.

Feel free to join the server by clicking here or by clicking the image in the sidebar. Once you’re in, don’t be shy and introduce yourself!

I hope to see you around!