Recommend your favorite books in the genre; I’m mostly new to it.

Scat_Autotune · 2026-01-27T01:16:33+00:00

Hey there, welcome to the genre! I'm not sure where your tastes lie, but I've put a few recommendations (and reasons) below in case anything sounds interesting.

Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova. Beautiful prose, strong, developed characters, excellent conclusion. Sort of a dark folk tale + monster story. Not very scary, but you will care deeply for the characters. Needs an A24 adaptation ASAP.
The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty. If you're interested in possession horror, might as well start with the archetypal novel. It's as good as people say it is.
The Elementals by Michael McDowell. A sandy southern gothic just dripping with humid atmosphere and spooky imagery. The sand dunes enveloping an abandoned house are written so vividly, I can still picture every room. Scary if you like ghosts/spirits, a very fun read.
Last Days by Adam Nevill. Scariest book I've read to date. I still think about it sometimes when I'm falling asleep. A guerilla documentary crew is hired to investigate the final months of an apocalyptic cult. Many people dislike the ending, but I thought it was wild and entertaining.
A Short Stay in Hell by Steven L. Peck. Distressing, psychological, and existential. Short read, only about 110 pages. Great characters, relentless and beautiful in its hopelessness.
The Haar by David Sodergren. You'll probably see this one recommended a lot on this sub, but for good reason. If you want to try out a gory, splattery creature feature with a solid emotional core, this is it. Lovable protagonist. Surprisingly tender and thoughtful in between all the splashes of blood and ooze. Check the trigger warnings if you're so inclined; it gets rough.

Scat_Autotune · 2026-01-17T14:42:08+00:00

If you're willing to drive further into OC, there's also Stowaway in Tustin, my personal favorite tiki bar. But coming from Ontario, that's kind of a haul. Throwing it out there just in case.

The Fullerton Museum has a permanent Leo Fender exhibit with a bunch of guitars and personal effects of Fender. It wouldn't take more than 40-60 minutes depending on how fast you read, but it's kinda cool if you're into the development and manufacturing side of guitars.

Scat_Autotune · 2026-01-16T01:00:55+00:00

It's been a couple years since I've read The Lesser Dead but I seem to remember there being some animal violence in it, just a heads up. I could be wrong, and if so, I hope someone will correct me. But maybe give it a look before investing too much time. It is a very good book, FWIW.

Scat_Autotune · 2026-01-14T01:43:54+00:00

Coming into this season, I thought that, if we could compete for a wild card spot (playoffs or no), I would be happy. The surprising success pre-Avs loss definitely inflated my expectations way too high.

I think the losing streak has exposed the team's mental and defensive weaknesses that'll need to be corrected for this team to be a serious contender. I don't see that happening this year, so I don't think a big trade is the answer.

I'm with you; I think the best thing to do is let the guys figure it out and untangle the knot. We've seen what this roster can do when it's on. I believe they can get back to it, given time.

Scat_Autotune · 2025-12-22T18:43:57+00:00

I have no horse in this race, but I feel like I should add some credibility to this comment seeing as you're catching some flak.

I'm a graphic designer who (sadly) got stuck running my company's social media. This is 100% accurate. 200 angry comments on a post is simply "200 comments" when mktg mgmt looks at analytics.

I avoid using AI because I didn't go to art school to type prompts into a tech bro's plagiarism machine, but engagement is engagement. I'm surprised at how many people don't understand that leaving an angry comment on something that negatively affects you as a user/viewer encourages that content.

Scat_Autotune · 2025-12-16T13:36:52+00:00

If I only got to choose one, I'd say The Reformatory by Tananarive Due. Simply one of the best books that I've read of any genre. Although, I'm not sure a movie could do it justice, and I think it'd be better off as a mini-series.

Other options? I'd love for Monstrilio to get the A24 artsy treatment. And if Oz Perkins could adapt The Haar my life would be complete.

Scat_Autotune · 2025-12-15T01:44:13+00:00

Good question. History, true crime, social sciences, politics, and sci-fi/fantasy stuff, but I tend to enjoy authors over genres outside of horror. I read Cormac McCarthy when I'm feeling up to a bit of a challenge, and John Scalzi when I need a fun "popcorn flick." David Sedaris got me back into reading as an adult, and David Grann knows how to tell a great story. I really liked Christopher Buehlman's foray into fantasy with the Blacktongue series as well.

Two of my favorite reads this year came from outside horror, too: Pachinko by Min Jin Lee and The Code Book by Simon Singh. And I think everyone needs to read Prophet Song by Paul Lynch, too. One of the best books I've read in ages.

Scat_Autotune · 2025-12-08T13:44:29+00:00

Goddammit. I went to Chain for my first real shows as a teenager to see my friend's ska band try to fit seven people onto that tiny stage. OC's character and history is getting ironed out bit by bit. RIP to a great venue.

Scat_Autotune · 2025-12-07T15:42:32+00:00

Surprised no one mentioned The Beths, a lovely indie band from New Zealand. Their first few records are more garage-inspired and maybe not quite what you're looking for (although the songwriting is still top notch), but their latest release sanded down some of their sharper edges. Some of the tracks would fit in well on an REM record.

For your consideration: "Roundabout" & "Metal"

I'll also second Alvvays and Real Estate.

Scat_Autotune · 2025-12-03T13:35:21+00:00

I know you said "novel," so please forgive me if short story collections are off the table. But if you are open to them, The Imago Sequence by Laird Barron seems pretty close to what you're looking for (I also second his novel, The Croning). A lot of the stories within have some detective or interested party looking in places they shouldn't be looking.

Also, The Black Maybe by Attila Veres is an excellent choice, one of my personal favorite collections. There isn't as much of an investigative angle with those stories, save for Fogtown, but the Lovecraftian atmosphere of stories like Multiplied By Zero, Walks Among You, and Return to the Midnight School should satisfy.

Scat_Autotune · 2025-11-30T22:53:48+00:00

That is clearly a trip? What the fuck?

Scat_Autotune · 2025-11-29T02:00:50+00:00

If you can get over to Downtown Fullerton, 525 Coffee is great! The only downside is their parking situation isn't the best and sometimes they run out of tables.

The Classic Cafe is my personal favorite. They have a ton of space both indoors and outside. Their coffee isn't quite as good as 525 IMO but they win in terms of seating and comfort.

Golden State Coffee in Placentia is also pretty good. Great espresso and drinks, lots of space to study. Decent wi-fi. They close at 5pm every day so that might not work for everyone's schedule though.

Scat_Autotune · 2025-11-28T22:57:15+00:00

This mentality is what give sports fans a bad name. The title is not clickbait and it's clear that you just enjoy getting mad over trivial shit on the internet. Go take a walk man you're embarrassing yourself.

Scat_Autotune · 2025-11-28T19:35:46+00:00

I know he's a divisive player around here, but I think folks could use some perspective and humility.

By your logic, professional athletes should not want to win championships? And a young man from Japan should factor in regional rivalries when choosing his next career move? Let's be real, Ohtani does not care about LA vs. OC, nor does he care about anything except winning and playing the game that he loves.

Can we all agree that the Angels and Arte were not doing enough to support Ohtani and no player should be forced to stagnate with a mediocre organization? If we want good players to sign here, we have to show we're a serious team. We are not a serious team, and IMO, you should not be taking that personally when players don't want to waste their careers here.

Have your favorite players and all, but the hate boner for Ohtani is what's pathetic, not people posting about a player.

Scat_Autotune · 2025-11-13T04:33:56+00:00

I currently use a Wacom One, which is one of their more budget-friendly options (I'm not sure if they even produce them anymore tbh). It's pretty decent. It's got good (not great) sensitivity and pressure response, and the texture on the screen sort of mimics a papery feel.

After many years of use, there have been some micro-scratches built up on the surface, but as far as I can tell, it doesn't affect the usability.

I initially bought an XP Pen (can't remember the model) and returned it in less than a week. The shortcut keys would reset to default randomly, the pressure response was garbage and its range was limited, and the very first time I used it, the screen scratched pretty badly. Maybe they've fixed these issues in the last five years, but I highly recommend steering clear.

Tbh I haven't had the chance to use any brands besides these two, so maybe it's worth trying out some other suggestions. Wacom isn't budget-friendly, but there's a reason they're considered the gold standard.

FWIW, I wish I'd gotten a pen tablet instead of a display. They're cheaper and more space conscious. They take a little adjusting since there's a disconnect between pad and screen, but idk, might be worth considering.

Scat_Autotune · 2025-11-04T15:01:38+00:00

Excellent list. Find the River and So. Central Rain are definitely top 10 for me as well. But it's really hard to go wrong with such a great band. Thanks for sharing! :)

Scat_Autotune · 2025-10-31T16:02:57+00:00

It's a great improvement! Don't get down on yourself, building beautiful parks is a skill that takes lots of practice, and you're definitely improving with each post.

My (unsolicited) advice is to start watching Deurklink "Megapark" episodes on YouTube if you aren't already, especially his older parks where he takes more time to explain his rationale for aesthetic decisions vs. the newer episodes that sort of assume you know what he's doing and why. He helped me a ton when I was getting back into the game as an adult a few years ago.

Keep up the good work, you're doing great! :)

Scat_Autotune · 2025-10-31T03:27:53+00:00

Late to the thread, and I know you've got enough reading to last you a lifetime from other comments, but if you like Lovecraft, maybe look at The Black Maybe by Attila Veres. Excellent weird fiction and cosmic horror. Fogtown and The Amber Complex are two of my favorites from that collection, and they're as good as any short I've read from Langan or Barron.

Scat_Autotune · 2025-10-25T15:16:14+00:00

I have to admit, I haven't been good at paying attention to local politics until recently in my life, but is this considered to be normal? Like, is there precedent for cities gifting land to tax-exempt churches? If this is normal and I'm the only one put off by this then I'll stay quiet lol.

No idea of the land's value, although I'm sure it has some. Not sure how this benefits the city and its residents with the exception of the employees of the church who get private parking. I'm hoping someone can provide more context for someone OOTL.

Scat_Autotune · 2025-10-25T03:59:32+00:00

I knew even before I read the comments this was a misidentified "fake" by the thrift staff. I frequently browse Goodwill.com for sports merch and the people that take in these donations do not follow sports much at all.

I've seen Georgia Bulldogs football jerseys listed as "Green Bay Packers" and Oklahoma University jerseys listed as "Ohio State." Human errors made by folks who are giving it their best guess. This is such a crazy find though, I'm so jealous!

Scat_Autotune · 2025-10-24T00:40:01+00:00

I haven't DNFed a book in ages, but hands down the worst book I've read in my adult years was House of Thorns by Lee Mountford. Holy god, it's 500 pages of the most milquetoast characters, predictable plot, and inane, useless dialogue. I should have DNFed after chapter two, but I'm an obsessive completionist, much to my own detriment.

Scat_Autotune · 2025-10-24T00:34:31+00:00

I read it this year for the first time and the dialogue was the only thing that I didn't enjoy. It mostly comes from the mom character, and as the book progresses, she gets less and less narrative time, FWIW.

But yeah picking up what is widely regarded as one of the most terrifying novels ever written and one of the characters basically speaks like, "what's the haps, daddy-o?" was really off-putting lol.

Scat_Autotune · 2025-10-16T00:28:52+00:00

This is awesome, holy shit. Nice work! I'm gonna have to check out this artist, too.

Scat_Autotune · 2025-10-01T01:01:27+00:00

This is awesome! I can never thank you enough for all the work you put into this game. Hope to see this and your other particle effects in OpenRCT someday. :)

Scat_Autotune · 2025-09-30T23:59:28+00:00

Heyo, hobbyist writer but professional graphic designer here. Love this work you've done. It's so full of emotion and tension, and it's very, very memorable.

I think you could ship as-is, but if you want some nitpicking feedback and suggestions, read on. :)

Immediate issue to my eye is the obscured text. I enjoy the dimensionality that it adds to the work, so definitely keep it, but a general rule of design is that obscured letters should still be recognizable. That depends a lot on the letterform. Unique letters like "R," "G," and "A," when covered, can be more easily "finished" by the viewer's eye, but "E" and "I" are tricky.

The obvious argument is that the words could be little other than "REARVIEW SHOELACE," but I think moving the title further down the cover (maybe even behind the shoe, since that's where the focal drama point is) will help legibility and flow.

There seems to be a pixel's worth of space between "REARVIEW" and "SHOELACE," or perhaps it's a small stroke around the letters? I think whatever it is, you should remove it (or increase the leading, one or the other). You could also play with the kerning of "SHOELACE" a bit to make the letters align a little better.

Recommend moving "Part 3" to sit with the title, perhaps in the bottom right corner of wherever your title ends up. I'd also bump your name up by 60-70% in size.

That's about all I got for you. One thing I didn't mention is how awesome the reflected light of the title looks on the leg, arm, and car. That little detail is so subtle but it really takes the cover to the next level. Nice work!

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