Pretty horny.

So I managed to acquire a Japanese Charmander (don't ask how, I have my ways) and I'm trying my hand at breeding a shiny. Any tips apart from patience?

Apprently getting a shiny ditto can help the changes more

That is the only tip. Masuda Method + Shiny Charm + PATIENCE.

That said, I've never even successfully bred one. Just dozens of captured..

It doesn't though.

Ugh. Well on the bright side said charmander also had flare blitz and dragon breed on to her and has 5 perfect IVs so I got a hold of my first 6 IV pokemon

I've bred shinies.
Just never intentionally. The attempts at doing so yielded nothing but box after box after box of Feebases.
Because the game loves taunting me like that.

But yeah, even with the best possible odds for hatching a shiny, it's still pretty damn slim, so patience is a definite must :lol

I'm only ever tried to MM once... and got two shiny Tropius to show for it. Unfortunately, the one with Harvest was only 4IV, but its Defense was 29 or 30 so it was plenty good enough. The other was pentaperfect with one of the normal abilities, an ideal build should it turn out that a Mega happens sometime in the future. Took a week or two of intermittent breeding but I was happy. :) I also haven't rushed back into one since, but I imagine I will MM in X again one of these days, or in Alpha Sapphire if I can easily get a Shiny Charm there again and all the breeding mechanics remain the same.

So doing the battle mansion while listening to the game grumps does not mix well. Honestly surprised I haven't lost yet

*Shrugs*
I'mma name my next Greninja "Nin'ninjer"

I got the Pokemon TCG card pack from Gamestop so I could get the Gengar code, but Im not gonna use the cards, anyone want them for cost+shipping? PM me. Still unopened and in the blister pack.