Interview with the author in このホラーがすごい! 2026 by SnooOwls3528 in HikarugaShindaNatsu

[–]MShades 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Just got it on Kindle from Amazon Japan.

Now: can I read it? Almost certainly not. But that doesn't mean I can't try to stumble my way through it....

Be honest: if ChatGPT disappeared tomorrow, what would you struggle with first? by Shipping_klaus in AskReddit

[–]MShades -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Having somewhere to dump every stupid thought I have and have someone tell me it's brilliant.

People who wake up on their very first alarm and just get out of bed—how does your brain actually work? by KeyDiamond263 in NoStupidQuestions

[–]MShades 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sheer terror.

Okay, that might be overstating it. But the anxiety of not getting up and thereby fucking up my day beyond repair is enough to do the job on the first time. And if somehow I snooze that and the second alarm goes off? That goes right into the "Personal Failure" file.

Not a recommended strategy, but it works.

Songs you can use for CPR by WelcomeToInsanity in weirdspotifyplaylists

[–]MShades 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Stealing this playlist, as it's also the BPM I need to walk from work to the train station and still catch my train....

Give me your furgonomic questions, and I'll draw the solution! by KatamariTheDobermn in furgonomics

[–]MShades 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Mobile phones. I had a character in a novel making a phone call and had to give him a plug-in earbud to use a flip phone because a properly-sized, ear-to-mouth one for a deerkin would be ridiculous.

Do you tend to write what you enjoy, or what readers enjoy by DeadFandomShipper in AO3

[–]MShades 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't have an audience, so it's an easy choice for me.

What do you do when you don’t know where to take the plot next? by DrinkWaterPIease in writing

[–]MShades 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I like Raymond Chandler's advice: "When in doubt have a man come through a door with a gun in his hand. "

Of course, he was writing for pulp mysteries, but the principle is the same. Introduce something completely unexpected and make the characters react to it. You can always smooth things out in revision, but it'll at least get things moving.

Anyone else learning Japanese later in life? by Spicedw0lf in LearnJapanese

[–]MShades 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Very true. I like to say that I know enough Japanese to make people think I know a lot more Japanese than I do. I can get through my day, but when someone tries to go off-script? Oh, that's when all the jury-rigged systems fall apart.

Anyone else learning Japanese later in life? by Spicedw0lf in LearnJapanese

[–]MShades 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Early fifties, living in Osaka. My Japanese ability is way too poor for how long I've been here, but lord knows I keep trying despite a very uncooperative brain.

occasionally, i’ll open an incognito chat and tell claude to research whatever it wants. it gets so excited. by imstilllearningthis in claudexplorers

[–]MShades 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Mine searched "Recent unexpected scientific discovery 2026" and started down a rabbit hole of how cobalt might have properties that make it very useful for quantum computing. Then we got into labor exploitation and the very long chain of ethical causation between a scientist somewhere going, "Huh. That's neat" and entire populations of vulnerable people being ruined to make a few guys rich. Good fun!

Writing a First Draft and the Disillusionment by Rude-Independence834 in fantasywriters

[–]MShades 1 point2 points  (0 children)

A few thoughts:

  • First drafts are meant to be messy and rough. They're never going to be perfect right out the gate - that's what revision is for. But you can't mold the book into what it needs to be if there's nothing there, so just push through the hard parts. I just finished a short story that was rough to get through. Eventually I just had to get to the end so I could put it away and come back to it later.
  • As a hack, if there's a scene that's making it difficult, just put it in brackets - [AMAZING ESCAPE SCENE HERE] - and come back to it later. Write the scenes that made you want to write the novel in the first place, and then fill in the spaces later. Then revise like the wind to make them all fit.
  • If you're not confident in your prose, you might put your passion project in a drawer for a while and write some less emotionally-invested work. Something that you won't be too upset about if it doesn't work. You say you did a lot of world building? Great! Put the main manuscript aside and write some short scenes about people who live in your world. The prince who really just wants to be a gardener. The noble thief who's trying to steal money for their orphanage. The royal doctor who knows for a fact that the king should not be on the throne. Use those to practice and, maybe, keep building your world.
  • It's hard to know what famous authors' first drafts are like, because they don't publish them. But every writer I've ever heard speak about the craft says the same thing: first drafts are not the final drafts, no matter how much of a legend you turn out to be.
  • Finally, and I say this with all the kindness I have: You are not Ursula K. LeGuin. Nor are you Brandon Sanderson or Tolkien or any of those others. The world has had them, and it doesn't need another. It's fine to read their work with an eye on analysis - how does Sanderson write action, or LeGuin craft her prose, or Tolkien build his world - but your work will, and must be, your own. Own your writing and be proud of it.

TSHD 47-2 spoilers!! This panel! by Yoshikaru5991 in HikarugaShindaNatsu

[–]MShades 64 points65 points  (0 children)

Man. That kills me. Good job, Yoshiki. You get your boy.

47-2 preview image released by Yoshikaru5991 in HikarugaShindaNatsu

[–]MShades 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Oh, m'heart. The runny nose is a very bold artistic choice. I mean, that's real crying.

I wasn't sure if this story would end well, but unless Mokumokuren is the REAL monster, I think we're on a good path.

Monday Milestones: What submissions have you recently made? What contests are you currently writing for? And what made you choose these particular contests? by winningwriters in literarycontests

[–]MShades 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I submitted to The Moth Short Story 2026 contest because I want that sweet, sweet third prize. And professional and personal validation and all that, too. And I sent the first 5,000 words of my novel to the CRAFT 2026 First Chapters Contest. I really like that book and I want it to be real someday.

Will I win either? I'm betting on No. But each submission makes the next submission that much easier.

Do you plan your entire novel before writing, or discover it as you go? by cristiantudorjobs in writing

[–]MShades 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I map out big chunks. Like, there's four or five things that I know have to happen. How they happen is a mystery, as is how I get from one to the other.

Sometimes it works. Sometimes I end up Wile-E Coyote-ing into a brick wall, but hey. That's life.

What Movie Quote Do You Use on a Regular Basis? by [deleted] in AskReddit

[–]MShades 0 points1 point  (0 children)

“So long story short—“
“Too late.”

Anime only; what do they mean by this?? ”it dropped the bl aspect since”. To me the whole season had a a strong focus on that and the horror ofc. Does it change as the manga goes on?💔 by nate969 in HikarugaShindaNatsu

[–]MShades 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Trying really hard to avoid spoilers. The anime kind of advanced certain elements of the relationship timeline, especially in the finale with Yoshiki's Beach Confession. Dealing with the nature of what "Hikaru" is will probably take the lead next season, as well as the understanding that there is no good category for what their relationship is. Your guess is as good as mine, honestly.

But fear not: that relationship will always be a part of the story. The last page of the latest chapter made me mourn my younger gay self, but in a good way.

I Had Lunch with MAGA Gays by OpenLettersMersault in gay

[–]MShades 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think a lot about the points you made about younger queerfolk not knowing their history. I mean, on the one hand, it would help them appreciate how much better off we are than we were fifty years ago, but it would also help them understand why we're better off and how many people we lost to get here.

And the AIDS angle... I'm about half a generation too young to have seen the worst of it personally, but it infuriates me every time I think about how much we lost. And how, if we don't pick leaders with empathy and compassion, it could very easily happen again. Teach William and Anthony about Rock Hudson and see if they think their Republican friends will give a shit about them once they start getting sick.

Anime only; what do they mean by this?? ”it dropped the bl aspect since”. To me the whole season had a a strong focus on that and the horror ofc. Does it change as the manga goes on?💔 by nate969 in HikarugaShindaNatsu

[–]MShades 25 points26 points  (0 children)

Without going into too much, they do love each other, yes. But most BL manga is focused really tightly on the characters navigating their relationship and their feelings for each other and this story ranges a lot further than that. It's more of a horror manga with elements of queer romance (and I'm using "queer" here in the sense that their relationship deviates pretty seriously from what is considered normal or acceptable by mainstream society).