<2022-10-21T03:32:24.000Z> GhostBear: Went through the first three "Chapters" of Little Mushroom, so far it's solid- If extremely goofy due to my dumb ass downloading the machine translation. 
<2022-10-21T03:32:29.000Z> GhostBear: cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/908601578469089282/1032858452269215764/Screenshot_20221020-163950_Brave.jpg
<2022-10-21T03:33:52.000Z> GhostBear: Though An Zhe saying "Hello" like that just solidifies my point that it'd be better as a fungal freak of nature as opposed to a Chinese prettyboy about to get molested by Horsen. (Joking, of course!)
<2022-10-21T05:27:23.000Z> stingray: As far as machine translations go, it's far from the worst I've read. I think someone went through and edited it. 
<2022-10-21T05:30:48.000Z> GhostBear: cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/908601578469089282/1032888604403449926/3dece786426edef277c590dd6b447b4a6f4a6827_hq.jpg
<2022-10-21T05:31:36.000Z> GhostBear: It's not as bad as the infamous JoJo "Duwang" translation, and this is at least is comprehensible. I'll hammer out a few more chapters before going to bed tonight!
<2022-10-21T05:31:47.000Z> stingray: It's not the worst machine translation I've ever read. I think someone actually edited it after putting it through the meat grinder.
<2022-10-21T05:32:48.000Z> stingray: Also if that sent twice my apologies I do not know how DMs work here
<2022-10-21T05:32:56.000Z> GhostBear: *Someone who is likely not a native English speaker. Still, not bad. 
<2022-10-21T05:33:18.000Z> GhostBear: Not an issue! It's janky, I apologize for making you use this!
<2022-10-21T05:34:45.000Z> stingray: Yeah being a fan of Chinese webnovels is pain sometimes because this happens a lot. Only recently have English publishers started picking them up
<2022-10-21T05:35:44.000Z> stingray: oh I see, I have to refresh it for my messages to show up
<2022-10-21T05:36:24.000Z> GhostBear: My actual exposure to Chinese literature is quite limited! (Barring the usual of "Three Kingdoms" or "Journey to the West" novels or adaptations.)
<2022-10-21T05:37:00.000Z> stingray: The Duwang translation brings me great joy
<2022-10-21T05:37:37.000Z> GhostBear: I assume you speak a *little* Chinese due to you being interested in them? Or was it moreso just boredom one day and finding a great English translation?
<2022-10-21T05:40:29.000Z> stingray: It was a friend's recommendation. I don't know a lick of Chinese. Little Mushroom I encountered through a webnovel book club when all we had was the MTL
<2022-10-21T05:41:58.000Z> GhostBear: Ahhh, I see! Forgive me for the assumption, then- That was rude of me to say.
<2022-10-21T05:44:36.000Z> stingray: Nah it's no big deal. It's a sensible assumption to make. Shit, I even have the Little Mushroom radio drama... Which is also entirely in Chinese.
<2022-10-21T05:46:02.000Z> GhostBear: Oh, I quite like Audio Dramas! I know i'm likely going to go on a tangent if I go into it, but if you want a good short tragedy, Warhammer 40,000's "Left for Dead" is one I thoroughly enjoy.
<2022-10-21T05:47:18.000Z> stingray: Oh hell yeah I love audio dramas
<2022-10-21T05:47:47.000Z> GhostBear: What interests me with Little Mushroom though is how overtly homosexual the characters can be- Especially considering Mainland China's views on the matter. (Along with it's requirements to make every male character a "Manly man".)
<2022-10-21T05:49:19.000Z> GhostBear: youtu.be/_pbu7-K3ZTE 
<2022-10-21T05:50:21.000Z> GhostBear: Above's the audio drama I've talked about. It's definitely "grimdark"/overly depressing, so fair warning. 
<2022-10-21T05:51:50.000Z> GhostBear: cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/908601578469089282/1032893861560844288/death-korps-of-krieg-death-raider-art-by-me-7681024_1.jpg
<2022-10-21T05:52:24.000Z> stingray: I was also surprised that LM received a Chinese sci-fi award given how gung ho they are about censoring gay shit. It's been a massive headache for web novel authors. I feel like the Chinese govt grapples with it a little because The Untamed and the novel it's based on are cultural icons (and also gay as fuck). Same with Word of Honor.
<2022-10-21T05:53:05.000Z> stingray: They make insane amounts of money
<2022-10-21T05:54:44.000Z> GhostBear: It stars a soldier of the infamous "Death Korps of Krieg" (A super edgy name, thanks Games Workshop) who are notorious for their high mortality rate and grim outlook on life. (To the average Krieger, their life is a commodity meant to be traded for the greater Imperium.) This story is about a Krieg soldier who was meant to die, but somehow survives his wounds and has a chance at a second life.
<2022-10-21T05:56:47.000Z> GhostBear: Anything that makes a metric shitload of dosh for the Chinese government is usually able to bend the rules- If they aren't Genshin Impact, I suppose. Still, it's fascinating to see a part of Chinese literature that I haven't been familar with! I thought most of it was only Journey to the West copies. (Which are... VERY boring.)
<2022-10-21T05:57:03.000Z> stingray: I can do grimdark/depressing in moderate doses.
<2022-10-21T05:58:55.000Z> stingray: Ah yeah a lot of Chinese lit is fucking boring, not even gonna sugar coat it
<2022-10-21T05:59:24.000Z> GhostBear: Totally understandable! Film noir and/or Cyberpunk is one of my favorite genres in media, due to them bringing up very uncomfortable questions that we don't have the answer to just yet.
<2022-10-21T05:59:51.000Z> GhostBear: And often can be pretty depressing due to the topics they tackle.
<2022-10-21T06:00:51.000Z> stingray: Cyberpunk seems theoretically interesting to me but I have very little exposure to it beyond like grungy old movies
<2022-10-21T06:01:58.000Z> stingray: I totally have a soft spot for police procedurals. Not quite the same as noir but in the ballpark I think
<2022-10-21T06:02:30.000Z> GhostBear: Ghost in the Shell (both the '95 film and Stand Alone Complex) are my favorire pieces period, barring the usual of Bladerunner and other goodies. If you want some good novels in that vein, "Neuromancer" and "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" are some I recommend!
<2022-10-21T06:08:52.000Z> stingray: I've heard loads of good things about Neuromancer
<2022-10-21T06:10:16.000Z> GhostBear: It's one of the grandaddys of Cyberpunk for good reason! If your "to read" list isn't too long, I would absolutely put it on there.
<2022-10-21T06:11:47.000Z> GhostBear: Sidenote: Typing on mobile is a royal pain due to how tiny these text boxes are. ...Doesn't help that I'm tired and my body's starting to tell me to hit the hay soon.