Adam Shaftoe
@adamshaftoe.bsky.social
Guy whose wife said that thing about Alien that one time. Retired Guardian. Occasional writer and critic. 日本語の学生
George Lucas, a weeb, created a character called Han Solo and I'm supposed to just assume it's a fucking coincidence that the Japanese for 'to transport' - which is the type of ship he flies - is 搬送する
Hansou and Han Solo are just totally unrelated cosmic jazz?
Hansou and Han Solo are just totally unrelated cosmic jazz?
November 15, 2025 at 10:22 PM
George Lucas, a weeb, created a character called Han Solo and I'm supposed to just assume it's a fucking coincidence that the Japanese for 'to transport' - which is the type of ship he flies - is 搬送する
Hansou and Han Solo are just totally unrelated cosmic jazz?
Hansou and Han Solo are just totally unrelated cosmic jazz?
Yesterday I saw my senior cat off to his ancestors. Today I read this in an essay.
"...It's hard to be a dude, suggest a O'Malley and Robinson, not because of some grand conspiracy of wokeness set to undermine America's men but because it is hard to be anybody these days"
"...It's hard to be a dude, suggest a O'Malley and Robinson, not because of some grand conspiracy of wokeness set to undermine America's men but because it is hard to be anybody these days"
November 14, 2025 at 10:33 PM
Yesterday I saw my senior cat off to his ancestors. Today I read this in an essay.
"...It's hard to be a dude, suggest a O'Malley and Robinson, not because of some grand conspiracy of wokeness set to undermine America's men but because it is hard to be anybody these days"
"...It's hard to be a dude, suggest a O'Malley and Robinson, not because of some grand conspiracy of wokeness set to undermine America's men but because it is hard to be anybody these days"
JLPT, why are you like this?
November 12, 2025 at 2:45 AM
JLPT, why are you like this?
Another entry in what is now going to become a running series of google image results for Japanese words going in an unexpected direction.
The word: 頼る - to depend upon, to rely upon
The image
The word: 頼る - to depend upon, to rely upon
The image
November 9, 2025 at 9:49 PM
Another entry in what is now going to become a running series of google image results for Japanese words going in an unexpected direction.
The word: 頼る - to depend upon, to rely upon
The image
The word: 頼る - to depend upon, to rely upon
The image
When someone still has the nerve to ask me, "Why learn Japanese" I like pointing to things like this and saying, "To understand why"
November 9, 2025 at 6:46 PM
When someone still has the nerve to ask me, "Why learn Japanese" I like pointing to things like this and saying, "To understand why"
What am I missing where one can't use のに to say, "Despite studying a lot the exam was very difficult?"
I don't see why しても is more correct.
I don't see why しても is more correct.
November 9, 2025 at 1:19 AM
What am I missing where one can't use のに to say, "Despite studying a lot the exam was very difficult?"
I don't see why しても is more correct.
I don't see why しても is more correct.
The classic blunder: not taking the extra second to think about which way お母さん is scolding 息子 in the dialogue and picking 勉強するな instead of 勉強しなさい
Come on, Adam, Bruce Lee taught you this one.
考えるな、感じろ。
Come on, Adam, Bruce Lee taught you this one.
考えるな、感じろ。
November 6, 2025 at 4:26 AM
The classic blunder: not taking the extra second to think about which way お母さん is scolding 息子 in the dialogue and picking 勉強するな instead of 勉強しなさい
Come on, Adam, Bruce Lee taught you this one.
考えるな、感じろ。
Come on, Adam, Bruce Lee taught you this one.
考えるな、感じろ。
Tonight in Star Wars RPG:
We were trying to get these mermaids off Yavin 8 because some imperials were doing research on a bad force thing that was poisoning the local water supply.
The plan: covert a ship to haul 100 mermiads to a new home.
We were trying to get these mermaids off Yavin 8 because some imperials were doing research on a bad force thing that was poisoning the local water supply.
The plan: covert a ship to haul 100 mermiads to a new home.
November 5, 2025 at 3:19 AM
Tonight in Star Wars RPG:
We were trying to get these mermaids off Yavin 8 because some imperials were doing research on a bad force thing that was poisoning the local water supply.
The plan: covert a ship to haul 100 mermiads to a new home.
We were trying to get these mermaids off Yavin 8 because some imperials were doing research on a bad force thing that was poisoning the local water supply.
The plan: covert a ship to haul 100 mermiads to a new home.
So...
Two 日本語 revelations for today.
1) Somehow I got to this point thing that 欲しがる/ほしがっている/たがる/たがっている were literally the only things you used the がる suffix with.
2) Why I struggle with adverbs: 90% of my reading is newspapers and periodicals.
Two 日本語 revelations for today.
1) Somehow I got to this point thing that 欲しがる/ほしがっている/たがる/たがっている were literally the only things you used the がる suffix with.
2) Why I struggle with adverbs: 90% of my reading is newspapers and periodicals.
November 4, 2025 at 2:51 AM
So...
Two 日本語 revelations for today.
1) Somehow I got to this point thing that 欲しがる/ほしがっている/たがる/たがっている were literally the only things you used the がる suffix with.
2) Why I struggle with adverbs: 90% of my reading is newspapers and periodicals.
Two 日本語 revelations for today.
1) Somehow I got to this point thing that 欲しがる/ほしがっている/たがる/たがっている were literally the only things you used the がる suffix with.
2) Why I struggle with adverbs: 90% of my reading is newspapers and periodicals.
In other monuments to failure, today's JLPT prep invites a genuinely painful composition question.
November 2, 2025 at 7:37 PM
In other monuments to failure, today's JLPT prep invites a genuinely painful composition question.
I am not a sports person.
I am an artist.
Baseball is human art.
I am an artist.
Baseball is human art.
Did not expect one of the best paragraphs I’d read about baseball would come from an Irish newspaper
www.irishexaminer.com/sport-column...
www.irishexaminer.com/sport-column...
November 2, 2025 at 5:25 PM
I am not a sports person.
I am an artist.
Baseball is human art.
I am an artist.
Baseball is human art.
God damn Yamamoto has an arm.
November 2, 2025 at 4:28 AM
God damn Yamamoto has an arm.
The shit posts we will get if a white boy called Will Smith wins the world series.
November 2, 2025 at 4:07 AM
The shit posts we will get if a white boy called Will Smith wins the world series.
Reposted by Adam Shaftoe
It’s basically Deep Space Nine.
Hello welcome to bluesky. We have every kind of anti-government radical left of center, and also, baseball
November 2, 2025 at 3:54 AM
It’s basically Deep Space Nine.
That was not the kind of Springer Dinger we wanted.
November 2, 2025 at 4:02 AM
That was not the kind of Springer Dinger we wanted.
Reposted by Adam Shaftoe
LET'S FUCKING GO
November 2, 2025 at 3:41 AM
LET'S FUCKING GO
Well this sure is some baseball narrative.
November 2, 2025 at 3:42 AM
Well this sure is some baseball narrative.
The Jays fans heckling Ohtani with the same cadence that Bart and Lisa used on Darryl Strawberry.
November 2, 2025 at 12:50 AM
The Jays fans heckling Ohtani with the same cadence that Bart and Lisa used on Darryl Strawberry.
I understand this reference.
November 1, 2025 at 3:26 PM
I understand this reference.
Reposted by Adam Shaftoe
I think my favourite non-meme line from Start Trek comes from Star Trek III when they are stealing the Enterprise. The Lt. in the transporter room says, "That's Admiral Kirk, my god."
And Uhura without missing a beat says, "Very good for you Lieutenant."
And Uhura without missing a beat says, "Very good for you Lieutenant."
October 29, 2025 at 10:16 PM
I think my favourite non-meme line from Start Trek comes from Star Trek III when they are stealing the Enterprise. The Lt. in the transporter room says, "That's Admiral Kirk, my god."
And Uhura without missing a beat says, "Very good for you Lieutenant."
And Uhura without missing a beat says, "Very good for you Lieutenant."
Singularly one of the weirdest sentences I have written in Japanese, and not nearly as unhinged as it sounds given recent events.
自衛隊に熊を捕まえられました.
自衛隊に熊を捕まえられました.
October 29, 2025 at 2:10 AM
Singularly one of the weirdest sentences I have written in Japanese, and not nearly as unhinged as it sounds given recent events.
自衛隊に熊を捕まえられました.
自衛隊に熊を捕まえられました.
Half of the news stories on the NHK are about bears. The other half are about the LDP.
*continues reading bear news*
*continues reading bear news*
October 29, 2025 at 1:25 AM
Half of the news stories on the NHK are about bears. The other half are about the LDP.
*continues reading bear news*
*continues reading bear news*
Colleague: What are you thinking?
My brain: I wonder if there's anybody at Bandai Namco with the writing chops to do the collapse of the Usean nations as a prequel to Ace Combat 3 in Ace Combat 8. Then again, AC3 is effectively just the prelude to Armoured Core.
Me: Grant applications.
My brain: I wonder if there's anybody at Bandai Namco with the writing chops to do the collapse of the Usean nations as a prequel to Ace Combat 3 in Ace Combat 8. Then again, AC3 is effectively just the prelude to Armoured Core.
Me: Grant applications.
October 28, 2025 at 10:09 PM
Colleague: What are you thinking?
My brain: I wonder if there's anybody at Bandai Namco with the writing chops to do the collapse of the Usean nations as a prequel to Ace Combat 3 in Ace Combat 8. Then again, AC3 is effectively just the prelude to Armoured Core.
Me: Grant applications.
My brain: I wonder if there's anybody at Bandai Namco with the writing chops to do the collapse of the Usean nations as a prequel to Ace Combat 3 in Ace Combat 8. Then again, AC3 is effectively just the prelude to Armoured Core.
Me: Grant applications.