New Year's J
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chuckspear.blacksky.app
New Year's J
@chuckspear.blacksky.app
james f. wright | writer. reader. ramen eater. (he/him) | 3x Eisner Award nominee | gdc award-winning game writer | wrote a godzilla comic | amateur knitter | fav carb: rice

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Hey, y'all! I'm James and I'm a California-based writer and narrative designer in games, having worked in AAA and indie, and looking for my next project. I'm a valuable member of a team, big or small, great with character and voice, excellent with wordplay, and making places feel more alive.
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doing a little horror game jam with some talented folk

if you're an artist that would be interested in teaming up to contribute 2D art (pixel or more illustrated), feel free to hit me up. experimental styles welcome!

examples of some of my previous games below

#art #artist #artists #pixelart
January 7, 2026 at 8:09 AM
Lol.

I just hate that they never did a physical release of H&CF after season 1, so the only way to watch it is on AMC+ or whatever it's called.
January 7, 2026 at 5:13 AM
Halt & Catch Fire is way up there for me and I want more friends to see it.

The Americans.

Black Sails.

(I'm on the final season of Better Call Saul, so maybe that one too?)
Given that apparently the Stranger Things finale was meh (idk, didn't watch it, just the scuttlebutt) and we're not that far removed from the disastrous GOT finale that retroactively made everyone have never cared about the show:

What's the *best* ending to a show you've ever seen? Quote/reply etc
January 7, 2026 at 5:10 AM
The Americans 🫡

That perfect needle drop during that incredible train sequence. The confrontation in the parking garage. All of it.
January 7, 2026 at 5:04 AM
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This doctor should not be using fucking ChatGPT AT ALL, EVER. Shame on this doctor and the Mayo Clinic itself.
January 7, 2026 at 3:38 AM
Orson Scott Card.
January 6, 2026 at 11:56 PM
"Favorite" is pushing it, but I was extremely dismayed to learn who wrote the insults for The Secret of Monkey Island's classic insult swordfighting. Especially as that is one of my most beloved games, and that aspect of the game in particular.
What's your favourite thing that's been made by an absolute cunt?
January 6, 2026 at 11:54 PM
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Every day they prove this 30 year old joke more and more correct.
January 6, 2026 at 9:38 PM
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The advice below is the best I can give but the truth is it's impossible to foresee every potential problem.

For instance, if I did another GN (I won't), I'd demand a clause that the contract is void if for any reason my editor is changed mid-project.

But that only helps with future projects...
Something I never talk about as an author, a graphic novelist:

I just left my fourth agent. I'm currently, technically unagented.

Something else I never talk about:

Not every agent is the right agent. Sometimes your agent isn't protecting you. Rep or no, YOU always have to be your best advocate.
January 6, 2026 at 8:57 PM
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Lot of people yelling recently "but we don't have the votes!" True! That doesn't mean "immediately quit." (Also not what propter is saying here, to be clear.) It means create a spectacle, make things cause celebres, make the Republican position untenable.

Create bargaining position and force votes.
January 6, 2026 at 1:28 AM
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Not dunking on propter here, because it's true that legislatively the Senate is locked out without creating a movement behind an issue. But part of being a good politician is creating that movement. Zohran reframed "affordability" until even Trump had to admit shit costs too much. Good leaders lead.
January 6, 2026 at 1:26 AM
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IMO the argument is that you can make things into big enough deals that it matters. Khanna found Massey and found survivors and made the Epstein Files the gigantic story it should be. Only then did establishment Dems come along. You can, in fact, make things into big hairy deals if you do it right.
if you want the Senate to do something, Senate Republicans must do something.

People are dunking on this but I'm not really sure what plays Schumer has other than to try to peel off Rs.
Schumer: "Republicans must -- if there was ever a time, they must step up to the plate. This is the time. And if they don't, they're gonna feel the heat from their constituents."
January 6, 2026 at 1:24 AM
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The worst world events filtered through the worst AI imaginable by the worst people on earth overseen by the worst man on earth

www.404media.co/groks-ai-csa...
Grok's AI CSAM Shitshow
We are experiencing world events like the kidnapping of Maduro through the lens of the most depraved AI you can imagine.
www.404media.co
January 5, 2026 at 9:06 PM
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Every mob that has ever run a trans woman off of socials has had a "valid reason" why they deserved it. But it's still systemic and endemic.
January 5, 2026 at 10:34 PM
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Most Deranged PR Email of the Year already has a frontrunner and it's only Jan 5.
January 5, 2026 at 10:11 PM
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Nessa is super talented and thoughtful. Any team would be lucky to have her.
hi everybody! I'm urgently looking for full-time game writing/narrative design work.

I'm a 6-year industry pro working with both AAA and indie studios on titles like Borderlands 4, Endoparasitic, and [REDACTED]. I also edit and consult!

Updated portfolio is live on my new site:
www.nessacannon.com
NESSA CANNON
Experienced game writer and narrative designer available for commissions, assignments, and contract work.
www.nessacannon.com
January 5, 2026 at 10:26 PM
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When you think it can’t get more sinister and terrifying, it does. Without these data, we will be so unmoored.

RFK has to be stopped, and he still can be. Impeach or fire, now
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), run by Oz and his boss, RFK Jr., will no longer require physicians to report vaccination rates.

Instead, they plan to start having doctors report if they’ve discussed “alternative” vaccine schedules.
CMS to stop requiring states to report childhood vaccination levels
www.cidrap.umn.edu
January 5, 2026 at 1:55 AM
January 5, 2026 at 7:00 PM
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A non-games example I think about is OutKast's sophomore album, ATLiens, which was such a shift musically and tonally from their debut, that it was pretty jarring to me (and others!) But eventually it clicked in ways I hadn't expected, and is now one of my favorite albums.
January 4, 2026 at 7:43 PM
If you're able to scratch both itches, hey, that's the magic, baby. But given how people change along with their tastes, interests, and expectations, compounded with the dev times of many games, by the time you give them what they wanted, that definition might have changed.
January 4, 2026 at 7:43 PM
While my personal belief is generally people don't know what they want until you either provide it for them, or provide the language and tools to help them define what they want (or don't want), sometimes people want more of the same, and sometimes they want something different without realizing it.
If you asked a nation of games developers whether it's rude to "assume you understand what the player wants more than the player does", you would spark a civil war.
January 4, 2026 at 7:43 PM
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like why the fuck does CNN have an “official prediction market partner”
At the absolute bare minimum, major media outlets should not be establishing formal business partnerships with betting market companies!

This isn't even "fight back and regulate"

it's "don't choose to step on the spike-covered poison-tipped rake"
January 4, 2026 at 2:51 PM
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Avoid endangering US troops…and what about the lives of Venezuelan people? Do they not count?

What about our right to know when our government plans an attack on a country we aren’t at war with?

Journalism is meant to hold power to account.
(Semafor) - The New York Times and Washington Post learned of a secret US raid on Venezuela soon before it was scheduled to begin Friday night — but held off publishing what they knew to avoid endangering US troops ..

@semafor.com
www.semafor.com/article/01/0...
January 4, 2026 at 3:02 AM
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Why do we even bother with anonymity at this point, all white collar crime is basically legal
“What appears to be a newly created account appeared to invest $30,000 Friday in Maduro's exit. After Maduro went into custody Saturday morning, that same investor netted $436,759.61.”
Someone made $400K by predicting Maduro's capture. Here's what happened
The winnings come as the rules governing prediction markets are still evolving.
www.axios.com
January 3, 2026 at 8:01 PM