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Forums Hangouts The Writer's Cafe - OPEN!

Donator Posted 6 years ago ( 2018/09/3 21:43:32 )
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Donator Posted 6 years ago ( 2018/09/3 21:48:23 )

Hello, and welcome to The Writer's Cafe. You find yourself surrounded by the atmosphere of good books and your favourite hot beverage. Distant muffled music plays, if you want it. There are cakes for sale, and pastries of varying shapes and sizes. The WiFi is eternally free, and you have access to many reference books, all at your disposal. Take a seat at one of the many tables, sofas, armchairs, comfortable beanbags, or cushions strewn upon the floor. There is no need to stress; you are with your own kind here. We are all writers and, more importantly, we're here to discuss writing. Perhaps you have a current project you need help with, or that you'd like to complain about (we all know how it feels!). Perhaps you need help with researching, as we have many resources at hand. Perhaps you've just completed something - in which case, help yourself to a free snack of your choice, congratulations. Perhaps you even want to brag about getting something published. It's all welcome here.

The Writer's Cafe is a place to talk to your fellow writers here on Voltra. We're here to offer support to one another and a friendly atmosphere. You don't have to be a writer to chat here; lovers of reading and words in general are very welcome. We're definitely here for the meta too. I'm sure there are enough of us that we can make this a bustling place. Either way, The Writer's Cafe remains open.
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Donator Posted 6 years ago ( 2018/09/3 21:49:28 )

✐ Everyone is welcome here, so long as you are a writer of some description.
✐ You do not have to be a 'serious' writer. This is low-pressure, remember?
✐ Discussion of your current projects is strongly encouraged. That's kinda the point.
✐ Discussion of sensitive matters should be warned accordingly and put below a spoiler tag, thank you.
✐ You are welcome and encouraged to share excerpts from your projects, but please put them under a spoiler tag.
✐ Constructive criticism is welcome & encouraged, but remember the golden rule: be kind, not cruel.
✐ Questions about grammar, world-building, characterisation? We love them! They're our bread and butter.
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Donator Posted 6 years ago ( 2018/09/3 22:17:20 )

This post is reserved for our regular customers and a short summary of their current projects (if they so wish).

✐ None so far, The Writer's Cafe is freshly opened!
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Donator Posted 6 years ago ( 2018/09/3 22:19:54 )


The Writer's Cafe is open for business! The coffee is brewing and the kettle is boiling! The cakes are delicious, the fire is lit, and the tables are ready and waiting for you to settle down for a writing session. Please, come on in. Introduce yourself, and your current writing projects.
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Donator Posted 6 years ago ( 2018/09/3 22:25:30 )
One more reserved just in case
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Donator Posted 6 years ago ( 2018/09/3 23:00:23 )
Greetings everyone! I am sunny. I enjoying writing short stories, although I would love to write something a little longer. A novel, maybe. My preferred genres are magic realism, sci fi, low fantasy, etc. I love writing weird and odd characters. My current writing project is about the metaphysical nature of the universe (uh, it's not as dull as it seems, I promise!) and its connection to music. It's a story about reincarnation, and four characters through four different time periods are connected by music that only they can hear.

I've written various other things in the past but I mostly give up before they get too long so... I'm hoping maybe this hangout will give me (and others!) the motivation to stick it out through the difficult times and get that story done and dusted! Maybe...
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Voltie — Princess Posted 6 years ago ( 2018/09/3 23:03:55 )

@sunny: I love what you have done with this thread! Such a cozy setup! I will come and lurk in here all the time! I am Sae and I am not a serious writer but I do enjoy reading alot so I will be coming around to read all the stories you guys tell.
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Donator Posted 6 years ago ( 2018/09/3 23:38:00 )
@Saeyra: you don't have to be a serious writer! And of course lovers of reading are very welcome here, it's just a place to talk about writing in general, and the craft of writing! :)


@Q t e a p o n: Aw thank you :) we welcome all skill levels here at the Writer’s Cafe. And of course, the only way to improve is practise 👍
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Donator Posted 6 years ago ( 2018/09/3 23:54:20 )
@Q t e a p o n: that would be great! This place is here to help :) everybody starts somewhere. What type of genres do you like?.
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Donator Posted 6 years ago ( 2018/09/4 01:01:36 )
@Hazer: Hiiii!! For the first one I was using the British English spelling but the second one is in true typo lmao thanks for pointing it out xD
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Donator Posted 6 years ago ( 2018/09/4 01:12:18 )
@Q t e a p o n: if it's just basic character background drafting then it doesn't need to be "good", it's honestly better if you use a simple basic vocabulary for your first draft to keep things full of potential. Second and third (etc) drafts are for fleshing it out and choosing a more varied vocabulary and sorting through grammar issues. Firstly you just need to get down the skeleton of your story, which is what you have here :) so yes, you're right that the vocabulary isn't super varied, but that is absolutely ok at this point in the process :)

I really like the idea :3 I've never heard of a story about someone being able to talk to fish before, so that is quite unique. Are you planning on linking it to mermaid mythology or not? I think it would work well either way? Can Lily talk to dolphins etc or not, since they are mammals? I really like how you included how much her parents have sacrificed for her and her gift, to enable their child to live in peace as long as possible. I'm guessing the story will continue with Lily's power being discovered or by her accidentally revealing it to someone?
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Donator — They/Them Posted 6 years ago ( 2018/09/4 01:34:26 )
I'm soooooo happy you made this place!
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Donator Posted 6 years ago ( 2018/09/4 01:39:44 )
@nyreen: & I'm so happy you stopped by!!
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currently: new novel who dis?

q u e s t i n g :
beanie doll! thank u cookie

Donator — They/Them Posted 6 years ago ( 2018/09/4 04:23:39 )
hey everyone~

what's the most recent thing that you've written?
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Donator — Whatever Posted 6 years ago ( 2018/09/4 07:01:35 )

@sunny: Hello there. I am Quoth the Raven. It's been some time since I've written (and completed) a piece, but I'm hoping to remedy that. I'm currently working on character profiles and am in the process of refining the backstory of a siren named Jordan.

@nyreen: To answer your question, this would be it. If I remember correctly, I wrote most of this on my phone, so I'm assuming the forward slashes are meant to denote italics. Reading over it, there are a couple of ideas in it that I don't recall where I was going with, unfortunately. I actually wrote a bit more than what I'm showing here, but it was dipping into mature content, so I thought it best not to share.

Before I forget, it's supposed to be Overwatch fanfiction.

And if you're curious, I'm slightly abashed about writing it, but not enough not to share it, pfft.
Death incarnate tilted his head contemplatively, a clawed finger tapping out a staccato rhythm on his bone white mask. Not for the first time that night he found himself wondering why this guy had been marked. There was nothing particularly remarkable about the engineer, he thought, at least not once you got past the visually bizarre combination of short stature and almost comical muscular build. Had he been into body building? he wondered briefly, before deciding that he didn’t really care. /Whatever./ Red eyes narrowed as they continued to rove over the lifeless body slumped haphazardly against the wall before him.

“Looks like another one off the list,” he finally mused, shrugging a shoulder nonchalantly as he leaned in closer, studying the multiple shotgun wounds his target had suffered to the chest.

The acrid scent of blood and gun powder hung heavy in the air, the smell pervading his nostrils as he poked and prodded at the torn flesh with a sick curiosity. The aroma was heady, borderline irresistible, growing more so the longer he kept picking at the wounds. Pupils expanding to take in the gory sight, it was only when he noticed his fingers vaporizing, trying to worm their way into the cavity of the deceased's chest, that he took a shuddering breath and forcibly removed his hand.

Gritting his teeth, the mercenary rose from a crouch and ghosted across the dark lab, stopping in front of one of the multiple computers tucked away neatly into a corner of the room. A purple skull was rotating lazily on the screen, informing him that data extraction had been completed. //Looks like we’re good to go…// With a grunt, Gabe removed the transmitter he had inserted earlier, pocketing it for safe keeping. A cursory glance around confirmed that he hadn’t left anything incriminating behind. Satisfied, he left the way he came, funneling through the building’s ventilation system before emerging on the rooftop a few minutes later.

Taking a deep breath as he collected himself, Gabriel closed his eyes briefly, basking in the light of the moon before grudgingly orienting himself south. He longed to head home, wanted to shed the weight of the guise he wore, but he had a detour to make. He briefly considered putting off the meeting until tomorrow, but knew in the end she would just seek him out at his house, bitching and griping until he wished he’d just gone to her. With a heavy sigh, he scanned the horizon. //Might as well get this over with.// Dissipating from the rooftop and reappearing on another, he repeated the cycle until he finally materialized on top of the designated coffee shop a good fifteen minutes later.

As expected, Sombra was waiting for him, sprawled out freely on her back, nary a care in the world for all the consideration she gave her surroundings. A star chart was spread out before her, aiding her as she scoured the night sky in search of constellations to name. The light pollution was making it difficult, of course, but it didn't deter her, and she had soon highlighted three stars that were lined up neatly in a row. //Well, that's one way to pass the time,// Gabe mused, intrigued in spite of himself. He cleared his throat, and at the sound, her head turned in his direction.

“Hey,” she greeted, acknowledging him, but instead of getting up, she instead returned to her chart, apparently not in any hurry to get down to business. Gabriel sighed internally and looked away, fingering the transmitter in his pocket, wanting nothing more than for her to take it so he could be on his way.

A voice in his ear made him jump. "Have you ever stopped and just looked up at the sky? I hear you can see all sorts of things."
Gabriel whirled around to find Sombra innocently studying her fingernails, but the smirk tugging at the corners of her lips told him that she was anything but.

“Sombra,” he began, berating himself for having reacted.

“Gabi,” she responded sweetly, cutting him off, her smirk growing wider.

The mercenary jolted as if he had been stung. “Don’t call me that,” he growled, mood instantly becoming foul. Sombra paused, and for a moment Gabriel thought she was going to continue pressing his buttons, but for some reason, the hacker relented.

“I take it things went well for you?” she asked instead, changing the subject.

Still irate, he answered gruffly. “I’m here, aren’t I?”

“Indeed you are,” she mused, tapping an index finger against the corner of her mouth thoughtfully. She held her hand out expectantly, and Gabriel gladly withdrew the transmitter from his pocket, setting it down in the palm of her hand wordlessly. “Gracias.” Without further ado, she began tapping at the air with her left hand, a user interface popping up at her fingertips instantaneously. She paused, closing out of multiple screens before finding the information she sought. Gabriel had learned long ago that she had no qualms about displaying private data in the air; all her documents were written in a code that only she knew. He heard a small ping emit from his phone; the mercenary hazarded a guess that the decrypted message she had forwarded to him had something to do with a job. She confirmed it with her next words. “That would be your next mission.”

She looked at him, her expression one of curiosity. “You know, I think you’ll find this target… of interest to you,” she confided, a wave of her hand dismissing the final screen.

Gabe tilted his head. “Is that so?”

Sombra opened her mouth as if to add something else, but quickly changed her mind and closed it instead. The assassin raised a brow, but the gesture was lost on her due to his mask.

"Anything else I should know?" he queried, fixing her with a stare, but the hacker just shook her head.

"No, jefe. I'll let you know if anything comes up."

Deciding not to pursue it, Reaper gave a curt nod. "Vaya con Dios, entonces."

The parting words were so unexpected, especially coming from him, that she looked taken aback before realization dawned on her. "Oh, so you've got jokes now?" she retorted, shaking her head, but the corners of her mouth were twitching into a smirk. Giving him a one-finger salute, she translocated, a flash of purple light marking her disappearance.


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Voltie — Princess Posted 6 years ago ( 2018/09/4 10:17:20 )

@Quoth the Raven: I love what you wrote! You had me hooked till the end! Thanks for sharing! I will be looking forward to all your future submissions. You just made me a new fan
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Always ping me please.

Voltie — He/Him Posted 6 years ago ( 2018/09/4 12:37:20 )
This seems like a cozy little thread, perhaps I may settle into a corner and observe quietly...

I have a couple of stories in my head that may have gathered dust over the years, though there is one I am particularly attached to, and the characters within it. I don't usually talk too much about that one story because it feels like I'm telling people about a part of myself, ehehe... I'm odd, I suppose
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"I'm the loser of the game you didn't know you were playing."

Ping me for a response.

"Someday, somewhere, somehow..."

Donator — They/Them Posted 6 years ago ( 2018/09/4 15:03:38 )
@Quoth the Raven: oooo I'll have to check this out when I get home ^^
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call me grem
they/them

Donator — Whatever Posted 6 years ago ( 2018/09/4 15:15:48 )

@Saeyra: I was not expecting that at all, so I'm extremely flattered, thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed it. I actually ended up finding my notes, so there's a chance I might try continuing this? No guarantees, though.

By the way, I've been meaning to say this for a while, but it kept slipping my mind: I thoroughly enjoy your poem thread, but I'm slightly disappointed that I'm unable to post in it due to the three month time limit. Would you consider posting in it again to open it back up?

@Dipper: I feel like a lot of writers can relate to that. You can put a lot of yourself into your writing. If you ever feel comfortable sharing, though, I'd love to hear about your characters and their stories.

@nyreen: I hope you enjoy it. I still cringe somewhat rereading it, but that just might be me, heh.

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Nevermore

Looking for RP Partners

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